Film

BLACK BOX DIARIES

When 28-year-old aspiring journalist Shiori Ito goes public in May 2017 with her rape allegation by then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s closest journalist and biographer, she feels she has no other choice in order to change Japan’s antiquated sexual assault laws. Her press conference shocks the public in a society where speaking up on such matters is considered shameful. Within days, Shiori is swept into the center of Japanese politics — the right wing views her as a threat to bring down the Abe government and the left hails her a hero for the same reason. Death threats, cyberbullying, and hate mail take Shiori into a downward spiral. When she files a civil case, the accused rages all-out war against her. Determined not to set a bad example for other victims, Shiori pushes forward with her case and resolves to publish a book about her experience.

Directed by herself with the most personal of material, BLACK BOX DIARIES captures Shiori’s tumultuous, heart-wrenching, and ultimately triumphant journey, going behind the headlines to reveal what has been like to walk in her shoes. The documentary reveals the personal toll of a society’s web of politics, media, and technology on the humanity of its individuals. Being both victim and journalist investigating her own case, the documentary shows that what Shiori did was not only to create social change but ultimately to keep herself alive.