Written by Andreas Babiolakis

Late 2017, the MeToo movement shed light on many aspects of sexual assault and abuse. Even then, the world felt so drastically behind when it came to the topic of how female survivors were treated, from being gaslit and forced to accept what has happened to them, to being flat-out ignored and made out to be liars. When Black Box Diaries was released in 2024, while there has been marginal movement on this topic, the world still feels way too far from the point of support and education than it should be. That’s precisely the reason why journalist Shiori Itō — who herself is a survivor — chose to create and release this documentary. If people cannot accept or respect that there are millions of sexual assault-based cases happening a day worldwide when you stare at such an upfront, no-nonsense example head-on, then this is on the people, not the survivors. Society certainly needs to do better.

Itō was abused by a high-profile figure: journalist Noriyuki Yamaguchi of the Tokyo Broadcasting System. Just from this fact alone, you know where Black Box Diaries will head. Seeing as this film is based on the lead-up to the major trial where Itō is essentially fighting for her life, identity, and justice, the oft-seen turn where the whistle-blower of corrupt power, systemic abuse, and rampant misogyny is threatened with silence and other forms of blackmail. Just in the fact that Itō was able to release the documentary alone, I’d argue that she persevered; even then, she was being accused of misinformation, the fabrication of truths, and other allegations (I’m not sure what the complete story is here, but I can only ascertain that this is the continued bullying of those in power who want to squash the relentless spirit that Itō has once and for all).

*Black Box Diaries* is a raw, unfiltered look at perseverance and what survivors of assault must do to even be heard, let alone believed or supported.

Black Box Diaries is without frills, kitsch, and pretence. What you get is a first person perspective — and a highly thorough one at that; honestly, Black Box Diaries doesn’t need to be anything else but this. While the film will only get so compelling and artistically driven (and, even then, I’d argue that it goes about these facets far more than it even needs to), Black Box Diaries isn’t concerned with anything outside of getting the truth out. Itō’s resilience — as a journalist, writer, director, and, most importantly, a human being — drives Black Box Diaries into the pits of your soul. There’s a two-sided coin to this documentary. If Itō had to do this much just to be trusted and heard, imagine the countless other survivors who have to face these uphill battles (I’d assume that many of them are even larger). Then again, Itō went this far with her testimony, and I’d like to think that all other survivors would never have to do this much to be respected and believed. It’s 2025, after all. Sadly, in that same breath, it’s 2025. Black Box Diaries shows how far we’ve come, and still how damn far we have to go (if it wasn’t for all the decades of backpedaling, too).

Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.