Black Box Diaries

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1:33

Black Box Diaries

2024

1h 43m

Documentary

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99%

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71 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

BLACK BOX DIARIES follows director and journalist Shiori Ito's courageous investigation of her own sexual assault in an improbable attempt to prosecute her high-profile offender. Unfolding like a thriller and combining secret investigative recordings, vérité shooting and emotional first-person video, Shiori's quest becomes a landmark case in Japan, exposing the country's desperately outdated judicial and societal systems.

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Critics Consensus

A deeply personal and courageous act of vulnerability created through an exercise of revelations makes Black Box Diaries a testament of Shiori Itō's commitment to truth and justice for all.

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Aparita Bhandari

Globe and Mail

An important reminder of the trials women across the world face when reporting sexual crimes.

Nov 21, 2024

Full Review

Lovia Gyarkye

The Hollywood Reporter

In its devastation and familiarity, Ito’s debut feature finds company among works that realize the power of survivor testimony.

Oct 30, 2024

Full Review

Philip De Semlyen

Time Out

It’s an unsparing, fly-on-the-wall journey through a legal and societal hellscape that raises at least as many questions as it answers.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 29, 2024

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Margot Harrison

Seven Days (VT)

Black Box Diaries is a riveting effort to take back [Shiori Itô's] personhood.

Sep 3, 2025

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Calvin Law

The Asian Cut

By showing us both the personal and public scope of the case, the documentary shows how it all continually pushes [Shiori Itō] to her limits, wearing her down.

Rated: 4.5/5

Jul 23, 2025

Full Review

Cody Allen

The Curb

Watching Black Box Diaries was emotionally exhausting. I cried, I got angry, I felt every injustice she faced as if it was my own. But by the end, I felt a strange sense of hope.

Rated: 5/5

Jul 18, 2025

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Vince Q.

Doc feature about a high profile case in Japan in 2017, settled on appeal in 2024, and highlighting the draconian laws women are forced to abide in most every country.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/31/25

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Fong Kok Hoong F

Enduring hurt, shame and public scrutiny, a journalist and a victim of a sexual assault documenting her process of prosecuting her high-powered aggressor is an admirably courageous piece of documentary filmmaking with a chilling moment from listening to the recount of the attack and tearfully heartening ones of heroic individuals stepping up to support her #MeToo journey in this Oscar and BAFTA nominee for Best Documentary Feature Film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/21/25

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Audience Member

I never usually cry when I watch pieces of media, but this has made me, and that says alot. To me she is a powerful author, journalist, public figure and most importantly, woman. If she hadn't come forward, there would be zero improvements from the situation in Japan.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/20/25

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C R

Harrowing, immensely brave & powerful documentary by Shiori Ito. Everyone needs to see this

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/20/25

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Leaburn O

Whilst it feels important and you can’t help but be angry at the Japanese justice system, the driver and the door man, let alone the culprit…it is a bit long and boring to watch unfortunately. Watched on BBC IPlayer.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/16/25

Full Review

Jonathan K

What courage. To have gone through something so horrific, then willingly step into the spotlight of press, character attacks, and a corrupt system of power with outdated laws. The fact that she left the camera rolling for so many vulnerable moments really lets you witness, at least a tiny glimpse, of the trauma, the non-linear healing process, the bits and pieces of closure, and the fight for something bigger than yourself. I can’t even begin to imagine how difficult it must’ve been to make this film: as the victim, the subject, and the storyteller all at once.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/01/25

Full Review

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Shiori Ito

Director

Shiori Ito

Self

Eric Nyari

Producer

Hanna Aqvilin

Producer

Shiori Ito

Producer

Mitsunobu Kawamura

Executive Producer

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Black Box Diaries: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

BLACK BOX DIARIES follows director and journalist Shiori Ito's courageous investigation of her own sexual assault in an improbable attempt to prosecute her high-profile offender. Unfolding like a thriller and combining secret investigative recordings, vérité shooting and emotional first-person video, Shiori's quest becomes a landmark case in Japan, exposing the country's desperately outdated judicial and societal systems.

Director: Shiori Ito
Producer: Eric Nyari, Hanna Aqvilin, Shiori Ito
Distributor: MTV Documentary Films
Production Co: Hanashi Films, Cineric Creative, Spark Features, Star Sands
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 25, 2024, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 7, 2025
Runtime: 1h 43m

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