Black Box Diaries: LFF Film Review
Black Box Diaries should be required viewing for everyone so they can understand what sexual assault victims have to go through once they come forward and make a public allegation.
This documentary follows Japanese journalist Shiori Ito after she holds a press conference in 2017 in which she accuses Noriyuki Yamaguchi of raping her in a hotel room in April 2015. She had previously filed a police report but it was dropped due to insufficient evidence. This film follows her as she pursues civil action against the former Tokyo Broadcasting Corporation (TBS) journalist and tries to find out if her police report was dropped because he was friends with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
First of all, Ito is a remarkably brave woman for speaking up. This was pre-#MeToo and there were very few reported sexual assaults in Japan at the time. To level serious allegations against a powerful man and publicly identify yourself is courageous. I was in awe of the strength of this woman, who spent the ages of 25 to 33 in pursuit of justice and truth and campaigning for the Japanese rape law to be changed. She also wrote a book and made a documentary about the most horrific time of her life.
Ito is incredibly honest about the emotional toll this takes on her, especially when Yamaguchi (who has always maintained his innocence) countersues. She is mostly very strong but there are times when she feels weak and “pathetic” and sad that she is known to the public as the “girl who was raped”.
She is victim blamed and shamed – her clothes are criticised, she is painted as a fame-hungry liar and attacked online and in the media. The abuse makes her want to go into hiding but she refuses to let them shut her up. Ito also includes emotional video diaries showing her feeling sad and low – or even crying her eyes out – and these offer a frank counterbalance to her public-facing bravery.
Black Box Diaries is a poignant and important film about one person’s experience as a sexual assault accuser. I highly recommend it.
Seen at the London Film Festival. In cinemas from Friday 25th October