Black Box Diaries
MTV Documentary Films | Release Date: October 25, 2024 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
82
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 18 Critic Reviews
Positive:
18
Mixed:
0
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The PlaylistBrian FarvourJan 26, 2024
Ito’s presence propels the film; her passion, vulnerability, and resilient strength are the film’s most compelling components, as they should be, and it’s hoped that the closure she’s pursued finally found its way to her. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangFeb 12, 2024
The result is a tough, harrowing work of self-portraiture in which it’s Ito’s own journalistic tenacity, as much as her personal determination and outrage, that leads her to go public with her story, despite enormous pressure to do the opposite. Read full review
90
TheWrapJan 26, 2024
It’s not an easy story to stomach, but in this staggering documentary playing in competition at Sundance, the journalist-turned-filmmaker crafts a stunning, effective tale of reclaiming victimhood and the fight for justice. Read full review
90
VarietyGuy LodgeJan 26, 2024
Without undue manipulation or sentimentality, Black Box Diaries pulls viewers’ emotions in sharp extremes that mirror the peaks and valleys of this hard-fought five-year case. Read full review
90
Screen DailyFionnuala HalliganJan 26, 2024
It seems to encapsulate a generation’s dreams and disappointments, torments and triumphs. Even if it takes place on the other side of the world, it’s still a story we all know when we see it. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comNell MinowOct 25, 2024
[Itô] wants us to see her when she is vulnerable and in pain. But the film itself is a testament to her courage. Read full review
83
IndieWireNatalia WinkelmanOct 24, 2024
For the most part, Black Box Diaries — per its title — is a personal testimony of a stressful journey, illustrating how survivors struggle, cope and find relief in support. Read full review
83
ConsequenceClint WorthingtonJan 30, 2024
It’s a brave, uncompromising debut. Read full review
80
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeOct 27, 2024
It’s a tough watch – at the start, she suggests that we “close our eyes and take a deep breath if we need to” – but a brave and important one. Read full review
80
Time OutPhil de SemlyenOct 24, 2024
A film made with cold courage by the victim of a sexual assault, this gripping Japanese documentary plays like a ’70s conspiracy thriller. Read full review
80
ColliderJason GorberOct 23, 2024
Thanks to Itō’s tenacity and focus, Black Box Diaries boldly tells her provocative and haunting story, resulting in a richly drawn portrait of one woman’s fight for justice that’s sure to inspire change in Japan and beyond. Read full review
80
The GuardianPeter BradshawOct 22, 2024
Itō is an amazing personality: an intelligent, courageous journalist who may have changed the course of Japanese history. Read full review
80
The Daily BeastNick SchagerJan 22, 2024
A remarkably intimate non-fiction exposé about the ordeals women suffer after being sexually assaulted—and the strength, courage and togetherness required to change that status quo. Read full review
79
Paste MagazineJacob OllerJan 22, 2024
Its devastation is familiar. But because filmmaker Shiori Itō is both survivor and journalist, and recorded her own investigation into her assault in real time, the documentary becomes a thrilling testament to her exceptional, tenacious agency in the face of a hostile world. Read full review
75
The Film StageLena WilsonFeb 1, 2024
Ito is undeniably brave, but this autobiographical doc could stand to be a bit less shiny. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineRoss McIndoeFeb 1, 2024
The film leaves on a razor’s edge between hope and despair, encouraged on the one hand by the passion with which justice is being demanded and, on the other, depressed by the widespread indifference with which these demands are met. Read full review
70
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Aparita BhandariNov 21, 2024
For anyone wondering why women don’t come forward to report sexual assault, Black Box Diaries offers a glimpse into the many indignities women can face when reporting the crime, and the amount of personal resolve needed to follow through. Read full review
70
The New York TimesManohla DargisOct 24, 2024
The movie’s intimacy is appealing; on occasion, it can be claustrophobic. Black Box Diaries is, at heart, a first-person account, and while it’s successful on those terms, it’s finally more emotionally engaging than intellectually satisfying. Read full review
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