I Just Didn't Do It (2006) User Reviews

very scary if you live in Japan

[ed-255 · 9/10 · 9 February 2007]

A young man on his way to a job interview is wrongly accused of groping a high-school girl on the train. He consistently denies the crime. But he is detained by the police and then charged. Most of the film consists of the numerous court sessions, and I found it totally gripping all the way.

The point of the film is that the Japanese justice system is totally unjust. Astonishingly, 99.9% of defendants are found guilty. In Japan there are no juries - judges make the decisions themselves. (This system is going to change in a few years, so that for serious crimes the verdict is decided by judges and small juries together. But who knows whether this will make the system more just. Many Japanese people might feel a strong pressure to conform with authority and find the defendant guilty even if they don't think they actually are.)

In the film we get an excellent look at how evil the system is. For a start, in Japan, the police can hold anyone for ten days without charge, and an extra thirteen days (I think) if the public prosecutor agrees. This is a very long time to be held without charge! The police repeatedly tell Teppei that if he confesses then he'll just be able to walk out of the police station - "it's only groping, it's just like a parking offence." But this is coercion and untrue. If he confesses, he can easily be charged and convicted. So the police are not allowed to say this. And in court, under oath, one police officer perjures himself by denying that he ever said it.

Someone in the film says that one problem with the system is that judges get regarded well and promoted if they deal with their cases quickly and find most defendants guilty. And judges are public employees (civil servants), so they naturally want to side with the police and the public prosecutors against some poor defendant they don't even know. But they're judges! Surely they should have enough moral fibre to put justice ahead of their personal careers.

So for people living in Japan, this is a very scary film. Innocence is no defence. For me the really shocking thing was that the judge and the police were outright evil. (Actually the judge changes half-way through the trial. The first judge seemed like a good man - he told some students, "The highest responsibility of a judge is to not find innocent people guilty.")

What I wanted to know was: what proportion of people found guilty in Japanese courts actually are guilty? Obviously there's no easy way to find this out. But perhaps a foreign lawyer or judge could read the transcripts of about a hundred Japanese criminal court cases, and say whether they think the person should have been convicted assuming that guilt has to be proved beyond all reasonable doubt. I think this would be an interesting exercise, though it is doubtless much more difficult than I imagine.

The other thing I wanted to know was: what should you do if you are arrested in Japan? If you confess, the best thing that can happen is you settle out of court and if it's a groping case pay the victim about 2 million yen (US$20,000). Or they might charge you, and since you confessed, you are certain to be convicted. If you don't confess, you spend loads of money on lawyers, spend a year of your life going through a terrible experience like Teppei in this film, and then eventually get convicted anyway. What a nightmare.

The director says he hopes lots of people around the world will watch this film. However, this can't be because the story has relevance to people in other countries - most countries don't have such crowded trains, so many men who want to grope teenage girls, or such bad justice systems. Perhaps he wants to bring shame on Japan and international condemnation of its justice system.

Anyway, I highly recommend the official English website (http://www.soreboku.jp/eng/ (this page has disappeared; use web.archive.org to find an archived copy)). It is only one page, but very interesting to read.

Incidentally, the film's official website gives the English title as "I just didn't do it". But the Japanese title might be more accurately translated as "I still didn't do it". When reading this out loud, "still" should be emphasized to make the meaning clear (which is maybe why they chose "just" instead). "Soredemo boku wa yattenai" is what you might say after someone talks at you for a long time, telling you how bad you are for doing something and how damning the evidence against you is.

when film matters

[LunarPoise · 8/10 · 19 April 2009]

Two ironies attest to critiquing this film a year after it was submitted to the 2008 Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film. First of all, this year, 2009, saw the Japanese feature Okuribito scoop that very award, a film directed by a man whose early credits include a long-running 'train molester' series, a sniggering look at the titillation gained from the sport of groping vulnerable-but-loving-it females on crowded commuter trains.

The second irony is that the Japanese Supreme Court recently overturned a guilty verdict on a man convicted of such a crime, citing the lack of evidence and due procedure on the part of police and prosecutors.

Okuribito's debt to Suo's film is tenuous, but the Supreme Court decision seems unlikely had Sore Demo not been made. The film highlights the primitive and highly dubious procedures that infest the Japanese judicial system, where habeas corpus is trampled upon and a benign and apathetic populace conspire by neglect in the crushing of innocents. The scale of the molester problem is apparent to any visitor to these shores who spends time on commuter trains - Women Only carriages are now the norm at rush-hour, a far cry from the halcyon days previously celebrated by the director of Okuribito, when 'how to molest' programmes were broadcast on mainstream TV channels. Times have changed, and how.

Suo elects to tell the tale as an Educational film, attempting to edify his audience on the corruption of the Japanese judiciary from the base assumption that they know nothing. Such stylistics have come unstuck before in Nihon no Ichiban Kuroi Natsu, where the didactic tone fails to encapsulate the social ramifications of the material it addresses. But Suo's film does not go off on that tangent, presenting as its innocent in need of education a single man falsely accused in a groping incident. He is a decent, loved man who finds circumstances piling up against him in a country he previously, naively, accepted as fundamentally good. Ryo Kase does excellent work as meek Teppei, who puts up with his treatment initially unaware of the hole that is being dug for him. His resolve not to opt for the easy 'guilty' verdict that will secure quick release is a deep moral core by contrast lacking in the police, judges, fourth estate and even his own solicitor.

The preaching can be a bit heavy-handed at times, and the film is at least 30 minutes too long. Some dubious side characters are overdrawn, such as an effeminate cell-mate thrown on stage to provide giggles and more leadership for Teppei. Such small qualms aside, this movie is an epochal event, an important film, that highlights an incredible, mean-spirited flaw in Japanese society, that the recent Supreme Court decision may finally relegate to history.

Suo's direction is spare and unobtrusive, his actors given space to reveal the consequences of such judicial brutality, which they do with aplomb. Brave, important film-making, that history will take note of.

One perspective on the Japanese justice system

[barkerintokyo · 9/10 · 16 August 2007]

The film follows the procedures of an unfortunate man as he is arrested, indicted, and tried for groping, a criminal offense. Throughout, the audience is confronted with moral dilemmas, questions on the most basic, most fundamental principles of the justice system and court procedure. Of course, the basic tenet is "innocent until proved guilty," but how does a court truly guarantee such? How does a justice system work efficiently without error? How should the justice system correct itself when there is a mistake? And how should the defendant act when he is wrongly accused? These questions are relevant to any nation, not just Japan.

Despite all the considerations of a highly developed democratic system, the main character, Teppei, still finds himself in the most unfortunate situation of being indicted for a crime he did not commit. Japan has checks and balances different from the United States or other western nations. Most innocent people are freed in the Kensatsu (something similar to the prosecutor) and are never indicted. In a sense, there is a court involving investigation, before the actual court. That a defendant, before entering a court room, has already been found guilty in two separate investigations renders the court a place to merely decide what the punishment should be. This is the reality of 99.9% guilty rate (which includes those who plead guilty). Teppei finds himself in the unlucky situation where he actually gets indicted despite being innocent.

After seeing this movie, many people, especially non-Japanese, will get the wrong impression of the Japanese justice system, which is a lot more fair than this film gives credit to. Regardless, the film presents a very valuable and justified perspective of the way criminal cases are handled in Japan and forces us to contemplate the concept of courts regardless of nation.

A painstakingly researched film (4 years of research). Worthy of highest praise.

[dragonrk · 10/10 · 12 December 2009]

Obviously, this is not an entertainment film, or your typical narrative film, and should not be critiqued at that level. It is most relevant to those living in Japan, or those who have an interest in what the Japanese judicial system is like. Rather, it is an almost documentary-like investigation into the intricacies of the flaws in a judicial system.

What Suo has done here is a public service worthy of the highest praise.

I lived and grew up in Japan for 13 years, and understood that it was not a good thing to get involved in the legal system, but Suo has given viewers a clear understanding of what it is like to be held, accused, and tried for this crime (and indirectly, other crimes). It is pretty much an introduction to Japanese court procedure. This is not something that you get to see on an everyday basis. As Suo is pointing out by making this film, it is something worth trying to understand.

As for the fairness of the Japanese judicial system, the film speaks for itself. I have no knowledge of the Japanese legal system, but what I witnessed when watching this film is the sharpest, cutting social commentary on the incredible and unbelievable flaws in the legal system, and ultimately, its lack of humanity.

Some people have commented that they do not know whether it is an accurate portrayal of the judicial system. It is, although it focuses only on this one case. Suo spent four years of intensive research to make sure that the film was completely accurate. (see: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070202a6.html and http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ff20070105a1.html)

If you are planning on living in Japan, have lived in Japan, or are living there right now, watch this movie. I am not aware of how the legal system has changed since this movie was made, but you need to understand the flaws of the system which you are a potential victim of, just as the protagonist of this film was. He is just one representation of the many people who have been charged and tried just as he was.

A poignant film that reflects a perfect society's imperfections

[stinky_feet77 · 10/10 · 30 September 2007]

I applaud the film director, Masayuki Suo, for having the courage to put out such a poignant film that speaks volumes about Japan's flawed justice system as a Japanese citizen. The 99.9% guilty rate is a reality not taken seriously by foreigners and many of those living in Japan. As a foreigner, it was interesting to see how laws are applied within the context of such a seemingly modernized and developed country. We follow the main character, Teppei, who is caught at the wrong place at the wrong time as he is accused of committing a crime he did not commit. With the assumption that standing by his innocence will set him free quickly and painlessly, we soon learn about the psychological battle he and those close to him have to battle.

Japan's judicial system is very different from westernized systems. In Canada for instance, much of our outcries and screams of injustice belies on the fact that the justice system "protects" criminals. More guilty people walk away or serve light sentences for crimes committed here. In Japan, it is quite the opposite and it makes one ponder... how many innocent people exactly are locked up? How easy is it for individuals to take advantage on that "trust" and falsely accuse another person of a crime they did not commit for the purpose of a hefty out-of-court settlement? In all, this film was excellent and is an important tool for us to reflect upon how "justice" is applied in different nations. It is exceptionally accurate in its portrayals of the daily ins and outs of those in Japanese jails. To assume that the Japanese system "can't really be THAT bad" is a slap in the face to all those who had to undergo that kind of psychological hardship as INNOCENT men and women. I am saying this as a fact. My boyfriend had spent close to a month in jail with accusations for a crime he did NOT commit. The prosecutor's only goal is to dig up any kind of confession by any means necessary - verbal coercion, bending stories, refusing or providing menial legal counsel, etc. When your ultimate verdict is guilty from the start, what kind of justice does an innocent individual have left? Is it right for an innocent man to say that he is guilty when he is absolutely innocent? Think about that.

An Innocent shall not be punished, even if 10 true offenders slip away

[ethSin · 10/10 · 20 January 2008]

A man falsely accused of groping fights for his innocence. Groping leaves no evidence, and the Japanese courtrooms are heavily biased against the offender.

"Soredemo" is one of the greatest Japanese film I've seen to date. This movie deals with the horrifying truths behind the Japanese court system. Life-altering and inspirational movie. I haven't seen Kase Ryou in film before, but he handled this difficult role perfectly, excellent control of his emotions. The supporting cast is filled with actors I consider to be the most talented in acting skills, and they all gave great performances. Casting was incredibly well-done.

This movie was directed by the same person who did "Shall We Dance?" and the lead actor in that movie, Yakusho Kouji appears as the main lawyer. Direction, screenplay, and the story were absolutely perfect.

A must-watch film.

Welcome Back, Mr Suo

[movedout · 8/10 · 4 April 2008]

Japan's foreign-film entry to the 2008 Academy Awards is a doozy and arrives from one of the country's preeminent filmmakers, Masayuki Suo. In his first film since 1996's "Shall We Dansu?", he brings the same discriminating eye back to Japan's cultural and social norms and in "I Just Didn't Do It", zeros in on its oppressively rigid judicial system. Observed on a level that can only be described as stark realism, a true departure from Suo's august social comedies and a distinct legal procedural going by its narrative trajectory of showing the inciting incident, investigation and to the courtroom in its various stages of due process – Teppei Kaneko (Ryo Kase) is accused of molesting a schoolgirl on his way to a job interview, subsequently coerced by weary detectives to accept the charge and pay the fine instead of pursuing vindication – a system that Suo notes as the reason for Japan's almost perfect conviction rate and institutionalised prejudice against the accused.

This Gripping Film Will Make You Appreciate American Jurisprudence (if you don't already)

[Michael-70 · 10/10 · 8 April 2008]

Sometimes, being innocent just isn't enough. That is the case of poor Teppei (Ryo Kase from Letters From Iwo Jima) in the Japanese legal drama I Just Didn't Do It. One morning while racing to a job interview, the young man is on a particularly crowded subway train, the kind you read about in Tokyo where train conductors at the station have to physically jam everyone on before the door closes.

But then, a fifteen-year-old girl accuses Teppei of groping her and he is arrested. He says he didn't do it, but his steadfast innocence means little to the police, the prosecutors and eventually the entire Japanese legal system.

We follow this apparently minor case (at least minor in my eyes) as it ends up in no less than twelve public hearings and lasts over 14 months.

Immediately after he is taken into custody, he is told by everyone, including his public defender that it will be easier for all if he just confesses to the crime and pays a small fine. But our hero will not make that admission. "I just didn't do it", he says.

Is this an accurate portrait of Japanese jurisprudence; I have no idea, but it sure feels believable and thorough.

There are so many things that happen in Japanese courts from plea bargaining, to bail setting to rules of discovery that are so different from our courts that many people may find this film hard to accept.

But different countries have different have different legal systems and sometimes entirely different views about the societal function of the judiciary.

Do courts exist to solely to dispense "justice"? Is their function to be punitive or to determine "truth"? This question is a lot harder to answer than you may think.

Most people will say they can easily tell whether someone is guilty or not, but as someone who was once a jury foreman for an eight day trial on attempted murder, I can tell you, it is not that easy or clear cut.

We the jury could only consider the evidence that was presented at the trial, a concept that is surprisingly difficult for some people to grasp, but ultimately we ended up convicting the defendant on a lesser charge. Did we let a potential murderer get away?

There is no way I can know that. What I do know is that we the jury did not feel the prosecutor presented enough evidence to warrant convicting the defendant on attempted murder. But overall, I was astonished by the great thought and intelligence my fellow jurors brought to the table.

Once again, the strength of American democracy was evidenced by the extraordinary actions of ordinary Americans. Our legal system doesn't always work this way, but it does more times than you think.

That is probably why this film was so hard to watch for me, because the case against Teppei is so flimsy, it would never get through the front door of an American court.

I Just Didn't Do It is a tribute to writer/director Masayuki Suo, especially when you consider the filmic problem he had to contend with. How to you present a long, tiring and angry legal story without making a film that is long, tiring and angry itself?

That would seem an insurmountable problem but everything here works from the crisp cinematography to the wonderful cast to the clever screenplay. I want to also give a shout out to the excellent solo piano music score by Yoshikazu Suo. I hope it gets released here on CD, as it is quite beautiful.

Seeing films that look at details of another countries legal system are rare here in the USA. Which is surprising because as a culture, Americans are totally in love with the law.

At any given time, there is almost always a legal show among the top 10 TV programs. There are dozens of afternoon TV shows like Judge Judy or The Peoples Court as well as whole 24 hour a day cable channels devoted to the law.

Think about it, more than 150 million of us stopped working in October 1995 just so we could watch the verdict in the OJ trial. Could this happen in any other country? Probably not.

With that in mind, I think I Just Didn't Do It will anger many people because of the injustice of it all. There was an audible angry gasp from the audience when the courts verdict was read out loud by the judge and our hero (who we all believed was innocent) was sentenced to three months in jail for groping the girl.

To clarify, none of us thought that the girl was making a false charge, she may have very well been groped, but the train was so crowded, it would be difficult to accurately determine who did the groping. It all came down to her word against his and the judge believed her. Thus we are treated to the problem of just having a judge review the evidence.

I'm glad the film begins with a title card stating that it is better to let ten guilty men go free than to lock up one innocent man. That is the basic rationale of our legal system and that makes me proud, although there are still too many Americans who think the police won't ever arrest an innocent person. The truth is, they do it all the time.

Once again, as with the Miranda case in this country, it is because a few people stand up to the power of the state that any changes get made in the laws to make things better for all of us. So, if you like legal dramas that are well acted and directed, please see I Just Didn't Do It.

Very Heavy Talk but Good!

[maximkong · 8/10 · 18 November 2012]

This movie provides a deep look into a legal system (not sure if it is unique to Japan actually).

What made this movie worked really well is that I believe it is honest in splashing out as much as it can on how much injustice and unfavourable circumstances can happen in a legal proceeding, and the outcome can continue to be unfavourable for a very long period of time. Acting performances are commendable, though I hope that the main character should have been more serious rather than portraying himself as panicky all the time. But anyway, some scenes were really an eye-opener and all in it is a splendid work!

Human Life

[napo0523 · 8/10 · 8 September 2013]

One day man is suspected as a criminal of a groper. He has never done such a thing, however he is wrongly labeled as a criminal. He cannot accept it and decides to bring the case into court. He strongly insists that he is innocent but his claims are rejected. The police struggle for their pride. He fights for his innocent for a long time and in the end…

I am very sorry that this kind of accident really occurs. Of course groping should not be accepted. However, someone who is under suspicion also has his life. If he is not a criminal, his life will be unexpectedly changed. I cannot accept such a thing. This film shows us very serious problem of Japan. I want many people to watch this film and rethink about Japanese trials.

Brilliant courtroom drama that is also biting social commentary...

[jmaruyama · 8/10 · 1 April 2008]

Director Suo Masayuki's latest film is quite a serious change from his lighthearted and comedic films "Shall We Dance?" and "Shiko Funjatta" (Sumo Do, Sumo Don't) and comes at a time when Japanese society is struggling with the issues of victims rights particularly a women's right to sue for sexual harassment.

Sexual harassment and molestations (groping) incidents on the Japanese subway and train systems has always been a problem with many women especially teens and younger women who silently tolerate the behavior for fear of societal judgment. While transit authorities have tried to address the issue - encouraging women to report incidents, creating special "female only" subway cars during peak hours, yet these problems still persist.

While much advancement has been made over the years, outdated attitudes of women as "second class" citizens are still prevalent in certain sectors of Japanese society - many Secretaries (OL - Office Ladies) are still expected to serve tea and attend to their male co-workers needs; the Japanese media often parades women around as sex objects/victims in various dramas, TV game shows, anime and films; Japanese manga and adult video often show women humiliated, raped, molested and tortured in graphic and explicit detail.

However, an ever increasing number of women in Japan are now stepping forward to challenge some of the behaviors they've been exposed to and many "sexuhara" lawsuits have been filed against companies who have up-to-now turned a blind eye.

Suo's drama "Soredemo Boku Wa Yatenai" takes a look at the problem from a different perspective and at the same time takes a critical look at Japan's Judicial system.

Kaneko Teppei (Kase Ryo) is your average, unsuspecting and nondescript young working man (salary man) who finds himself in a living nightmare one morning as he makes his daily commute to work to Tokyo. Running late for a meeting, Teppai jumps on a packed subway train. Young junior high school student Furukawa Toshiko (Yagyu Miyu) just happens to be in front of him. Trying to pull his stuck coat jacket from the train doors, he brushes up against the student several times. However this seemingly innocent action soon becomes the basis of a "sexuhara" complaint made against him by the girl.

Stopped by transit authorities, he is detained and forced to spend several nights in a local jail. Police inspectors grill Teppei about the incident in an attempt to force a confession. A Public Defender assigned to him recommends that he confess to the offense as a lengthy trial would only make things worse. Stubbornly, Teppei refuses to admit to the crime. Teppei's mother (Motai Masako) and "freeter"/slacker best friend Tatsuo (Yamamoto Kohji) try in vain to retain an attorney to take his case but as one candidly admits unlike on TV dramas, most don't have the experience to handle such criminal cases. They finally find a sympathetic and kindly attorney, Arakawa Masayoshi (the wonderful Yakusho Koji). Arakawa and his young junior legal partner Sudo Riko (Seto Asaka) attempt to make his case within the Japanese legal system. Teppei's mother also finds another ally in vocal legal critic Sada Mitsuru (Mitsuishi Ken) who himself was falsely accused of sexual harassment and is awaiting his own trial verdict.

While "Soredemo..." may play out like your typical episode of the TV series "Law & Order" or other movie courtroom dramas like "The Accused", "To Kill A Mockingbird" and "A Few Good Men", it is a surprisingly engaging and fascinating courtroom drama that takes a simple "he said/she said" story and makes it into a mesmerizing social drama and commentary that examines issues justice, truth and morality. Suo's masterfully crafted and brilliant script story forces us not to take sides.

Kudos should go to Suo's stellar cast who are all exceptional in their parts. Kase Ryo (Letters From Iwo Jima, Strawberry Shortcakes) makes for a convincing everyman as Teppei. Yamamoto Kohji (Fuji TV drama "Hitotsu Yane No Shita") is also quite good as supportive friend Tetsuo. Motai Masako (Always San-Chôme No Yûhi) makes a sympathetic mother who we can only feel great sympathy and sorrow for. Yakusho Koji (Shall We Dance, Babel) turns in another great performance as Teppei's stoic and compassionate attorney Arakawa. While some may see Seto Asaka's (Death Note, Chakushin Ari 2) young idealistic attorney Sudo Riko as a bit too beautiful to be a junior attorney, I found the character a good example of the modern Japanese career woman (young, smart and earnest) who is every bit an equal to her male colleagues and doesn't fit the stereotype of the meek Japanese woman. Young teen model Yagyu Miyu's performance as victimized student Furukawa is also quite effective particularly during her courtroom testimony.

Mitsuishi Ken's (Pacchigi!, Audition) legal advocate Sada character is the most interesting and I kind of wanted to find out more about his particular case but I guess his story would be enough to make for another movie.

As one could judge from the title, the film does not have the typical happy ending but Suo's story is less about the outcome and more about examining the process in which crimes are prosecuted in Japan. As Teppei remarks at the end, the system is less about finding evidence to exonerate and prove a defendant's innocence but more about finding the evidence to support the criminal charges made by the court and police.

While the story highlights the flaws of the Japanese Legal system, I think Suo's primary message is one of standing by one's own moral convictions and principals and not backing down from those ideals even when faced with imprisonment. Many good people have gone to prison based on their own morals and beliefs (the current situation in Tibet) or based on false criminal charges (the situation with Guantanamo), and this movie forces us to look at what is true justice in this imperfect world.

Cinema Omnivore - I Just Didn't Do It (2006) 8.0/10

[lasttimeisaw · 8/10 · 28 January 2021]

"Pruning away most of the peripheral tributaries from the artery, Suo adamantly arranges a blow-by-blow exhibition of the court-room procedurals, to anatomizes every and each go-around between the belligerent prosecution/defendant parties, down to every single evidence or a witness's gesture, yet, Suo's camera eye does not stay sedentary, sometimes it stares disinterestedly the manifolds reactions with blatant close-ups, or twirls around the limited space in one long shot to show Kaneko's disoriented state when his verdict is being issued, or simply . Like the top-line court-room drama, Sydney Lumet's 12 ANGRY MEN (1957), I JUST DIDN'T DO IT is a crying plea for justice and a seismic opprobrium of societal prejudice and systematical incompetence."

read my full review on my blog: cinema omnivore, thanks