Review: Black Box Diaries

Official synopsis: Journalist Shiori Ito investigates her own sexual assault, seeking to prosecute the high-profile offender. Her quest becomes a landmark case, exposing Japan's outdated judicial and societal systems.

I would hope we're at a point in society where we understand why rape goes underreported and under prosecuted. In case anyone isn't, Shiori Ito is here to document then lengths she had to go through to get justice for her own rape. Even the person who ends up being instrumental in helping her doesn't believe her at first. 

This is one of the most vulnerable documentaries you'll ever seen. Much of it shot discreetly on her cell phone, Ito takes us through her agonizing process of trying to report her assault, interview witnesses of the events leading up to it, and documenting her own mental health. It's not an easy watch, but Ito's courage will make you want to power through it with her.

Aside from the obvious trigger warning of descriptions of sexual assault. If shaky camera movements make you nauseous, there are going to be some parts of this doc where you might need to look away. I did every now and then and that was sometimes a struggle because I needed to read the subtitles, but she couldn't get the footage any other way. I'd rather suffer through some phone footage than a weird reenactment. 

Black Box Diaries is currently streaming on Paramount Plus