Black Box Diaries
“Devastating” is about the only appropriate description for this documentary, in which Japanese journalist <PERSON> details her journey as a survivor of sexual assault. Hers occurred in April 2015, at the hands of a powerful and respected colleague; she went public two years later, in the face of infuriating hostility from members of the media and police investigators. (“The law has its limits,” one informs her. 285
Yeah, no shit!)
<PERSON> isn’t just the subject of "Black Box Diaries" — she’s also its director, and that cinematic intimacy, that raw, open-wound quality, gives the picture much of its considerable power. She’s also, luckily, a compelling protagonist, tough and resourceful and determined, taking on not just one well-connected journalist, but an entire corrupt system. It’s a tough sit, but an important one, and there’s a telephone conversation near its ending that’s the single most moving thing I’ve seen at this festival. 529