Japanese journalist Shiori Ito’s extraordinary verité documentary, “Black Box Di­aries”, succeeds as an exposé by any standard. That it is also Ito’s manifesto and reckoning makes this unique film even more of a revelation.

| Feb 19, 2025

[Itō's] determination and resilience in the face of adversity define a film that clearly aims to move viewers with its story. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 3/5 | Feb 12, 2025

The titular Black Box isn't about a problematic individual but of an entire society. [Full review in Spanish]

| Feb 11, 2025

Document the trauma to brightening the truth. A really brave documentary. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 4/5 | Feb 4, 2025

An uneasy watch at times, but a testament to one woman's courage and determination to fight not just her own corner but that of potentially thousands more.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 30, 2025

The movie follows the highs and lows of Shiori's long emotional and legal journey. She cries in several scenes, and also celebrates her victories. It is quite a compelling journey.

| Original Score: A | Jan 17, 2025

The only way to save herself was to speak out and the only way to honor her craft was to become the apparatus necessary to be heard. It's a devastating account that reveals the heroes and villains in short order and without ambiguity.

| Original Score: 8/10 | Jan 17, 2025

Vital

| Dec 31, 2024

Black Box Diaries is a powerful reckoning and a celebration of persistence in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.

| Dec 24, 2024

Though it could use a tad cleaner storytelling, “Black Box Diaries” remains an essential documentary.

| Original Score: B+ | Dec 12, 2024

The documentary presents both the disappointing aspects of the legal decisions and the more encouraging ones.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Nov 24, 2024

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

| Nov 21, 2024

Using confessional phone video, a camera crew, security camera footage and television news, Itô weaves together a personal story with far reaching implications.

| Original Score: B+ | Nov 11, 2024

Itō proves a compelling documentary subject, as well as a very talented filmmaker.

| Nov 8, 2024

Every fact Shiori Ito brings to light is a wrecking ball pounding at the walls obstructing justice for women in Japan. Vital and remarkable, Black Box Diaries is a towering feat in documentary filmmaking.

| Original Score: A | Nov 5, 2024

A courageous and triumphant film that is both intimate and tremendous in its power and scope.

| Nov 3, 2024

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

| Oct 30, 2024

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.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 29, 2024

Art like Black Box Diaries can also help one process the unspeakable.

| Oct 29, 2024

Black Box Diaries chronicles a moving story of perseverance against a legal system that often silences survivors of sexual assault.

| Oct 29, 2024