I Just Didn't Do It (Soredemo Boku-wa Yatennai)

A decade on from the lightweight charm of ‘Shall We Dance’, Suo’s latest could hardly be more of a contrast. When the doors open on a crowded communter train, a schoolgirl accuses a harmless-looking male passanger of groping her. He protests his innocence and continues to do so when remanded in custody, determined to prove his innocence in court if necessary. With steely concentration, the film traces what passes for justice in Japan, where conviction rates run at a staggering 99.9 percent. While never undervaluing the trauma of such crimes, Suo makes a defiant stand for those innocents caught up in a true Kafkaesque nightmare. The material’s an eye-opener, its treatment utterly gripping. A must-see.