While it was only labelled as such roughly a decade ago, the MeToo movement has been around a while, but only started to gain momentum once more women stepped out and decided to talk about their own experiences with sexual violence and harassment. In the early days of the movement, many of us found ourselves shocked and saddened when many women in our lives – mothers, wives, sisters, friends – discussed their experiences being at the receiving-end of harassment and abuse, making it clear it was a global issue, and one that continues to be examined critically to this very moment, since despite a rise in awareness, these crimes are not becoming any less scarce, but they’re mercifully no longer being kept in the shadows through the bravery of so many people willing to tell their story, regardless of the potential consequences asserted by the perpetrators that have managed to remain untouched until now. One of the most harrowing examples of sexual abuse and its global impact comes in the story of Shiori Ito, a young journalist who was brutally raped by a well-known and respected media figure (who will remain nameless here, not out of respect but rather to not centre the conversation on his despicable deeds by giving him any further publicity), who had many friends in all spheres of Japanese life, and as a result was able to hide his despicable behaviour behind a veneer of respectability and dignity, neither of which he deserved. It took several years for Ito to get justice, which involved navigating the many obstacles that come with the system that one would imagine would be more efficient and not inherently difficult for victims to address, but she finally emerged victorious. Her story is the foundation for Black Box Diaries, in which she crafts a harrowing, thorough account of not only the assault and the man who took advantage of her youth and innocence, but also the journey to seeking justice, which was far too lengthy and difficult to handle, leading to several years of struggles that she compiles into this striking, haunting documentary.

The bravery of any individual that stands up – whether immediately or after some time has elapsed – and discusses their experiences with assault or abuse cannot ever be understated, and while so many of these stories have emerged over the years (almost too many to even consider quantifying), they always tend to be quite disturbing, since there is something about these explicit discussions of how people assert their power and dominance by taking advantage of someone weaker or more vulnerable. I’m aware of the challenges that come with generalising – not every sexual assault is committed by some powerful man seeking to utilise his influence and strength, but unfortunately this is one of the more common trends, and is very much evident in the story that Ito is telling about her own assault at the hands of someone whose reputation as a respected member of the international community meant that any attempts to expose him fell apart before they even came together. Through a very intimate series of moments in which she assembles footage from across the years, Ito crafts a personal account of her efforts to seek justice, something that she knew was enshrined in her national law, but foolish enough to believe that it would yield results. The image of tenacity, she spent several years fighting against a system that kept attempting to silence her – dead-end inquiries and attempts to bring the perpetrator to justice, threats on her safety and stern warnings from the powers-that-be to suspend what many considered a wildly inappropriate hate campaign designed to tarnish the reputation of a respected public figure – none of these deterred Ito from seeking retribution, which she does through critically engaging with the challenges that victims of sexual abuse face not only in Japan, but the entire world by extent, with many of the same attempts to nullify accusations against those who wield power being a social epidemic that is seemingly only being taken seriously the more openly it is discussed.

From its first moments, it is made quite clear that Black Box Diaries is not attempting to be a sprawling, definitive exploration of the MeToo movement as a whole, or even an observation of the movement within Japan. Instead, its Ito’s own story, told through her archives – the film begins with her speaking directly to the camera several years ago, and we constantly revisit these small, rapidly-filmed videos that she perhaps never intended to be seen by an audience, but which form the foundation for the entire film and make it so incredibly unique and nuanced. At its core, Black Box Diaries is the story of a young woman fighting for her right to exist in a world that views her as being fodder for powerful men, and where her own sanity and well-being are secondary to the urges of the people who see her as merely an object. Yet, it doesn’t take long for us to see that Ito is anything but feeble or meek, and possesses a fighting spirit that we find ties this entire film together, her resilience being the epitome of admirable, and she earns our respect through the candour with which she can speak about her trauma – and whether looking at it closer to the time, or after several years, she speaks with the fiery passion that indicates that there isn’t any alternative to change, and that she is one of many women who have been willing to sacrifice everything they had for the sake of being able to tell their own story without any limitation. The combination of personal testimonies and newsreel footage (mostly of the despicable perpetrator) are juxtaposed to create this haunting perspective, one in which Ito is not only touching on her personal feelings about the situation, but looking at the response to these actions, and how they grew from easily-dimissed allegations to the moment that ignited the spark that brought the MeToo movement to Japan and incited radical change across the country.

Black Box Diaries is a very simple film in terms of the form it takes, which benefits the overall experience, since it carries a lot of significance in what it is saying, and what is chosen to be elided and left to the audience to interpret or enrich with their research, which does benefit the overall film in terms of adding context and layers that the director could not include in the film, whether for legal purposes or for the sake of not making it too dense. Ultimately, this is a film about the value of not remaining silent – for some, Ito is someone whose persistence can easily be mistaken for anger-inflicted obsession, and considering the entire film is from her perspective, it’s difficult to argue against it, only telling one side of the story. However, what this film does achieve is the very intentional refusal to give the perpetrator even an ounce of time to explain his side of the story, which is by all accounts entirely invalid in terms of both legal proceedings and how the film treats him as someone who doesn’t deserve to have even a moment of credibility. Ito takes a unique command of all of these ideas, and uses them as the foundation for a very complex portrayal of her efforts to process this act of abuse from two very different angles – one being her role as a journalist who witnesses the ineffective nature of the government from a distance, and the other her position as a victim forced to navigate these challenging circumstances while also trying to process her trauma, which expands and becomes almost unbearable, especially when she is gaslit into believing that these events either did not happen, or occurred very differently from her memories may suggest. It’s harrowing, complex filmmaking that feels so much richer and provocative in practice than we may have figured based on a cursory glance.

It may not be an easy film at all, but Black Box Diaries is one of the most powerful films of the year, and essential viewing for everyone. It can be uncomfortable at times, and Ito is not interested in pacifying the truth – other than giving sensitive viewers a warning about the disturbing imagery and conversations, there is not much she can do to create that barrier of comfort between the viewer and this film, and we ultimately realize that she didn’t want to force that distance, since there’s something truly unforgettable about this film and how it approaches these themes, which are never anything less than wholeheartedly terrifying and frankly quite unsettling, in a way that should be witnessed by every viewer, granted this film won’t cause unnecessary distress. Its simplicity is a merit, since Ito doesn’t need to pander to large groups of viewers to sell this film, since the meaning is all present from the start, and embedded in the fundamental identity of the story, which is harrowing and disconcerting, but also truly inspirational. Ito is a young, impressionable woman who no one took seriously until she rose to the occasion and challenged the systems that oppressed her, which creates an unnerving and unique glimpse into contemporary views of gender politics and the role we play in protecting the rights of those who are most vulnerable. Steadfast in its commitment and genuine in its undying beliefs, Black Box Diaries is an extraordinary achievement and one of the most important films of the past year.