Audition (1999)

Bizarre Japanese horror film!

Director: Takashi Miike

 

At the opening, middle-aged Mr. Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi) and his young son, Shigehiko (Tetsu Sawaki), stand at the hospital bedside of Ryoko, (wife and mother) as she dies. Seven years later, Aoyama decides to re-marry.  His colleague, a producer, decides to hold a phony audition where beautiful young girls believe that they will play the part of Aoyama’s wife in a film. In this way, he can see eligible ladies.

 

Aoyama becomes smitten with one attractive young lady, Asami (Eihi Shiina), who seems very quiet, innocent, and emotionally deep. His friend who arranged the audition claims to have a bad feeling about her do to the fact that her references are impossible to verify.  Nevertheless, Aoyama pursues her

 

They ultimately become involved at a seaside hotel,  and she makes a number of revelations about her life. She trained in ballet for 12 years, but she was injured. She also relates the abuse she suffered. Aoyama professes his love and they have sex. When he awakens the next morning, Asami has mysteriously left. Completely obsessed with finding her again, he tries to find her.

 

He locates the ballet studio where she trained, but all he finds is a wheelchair-bound old man with artificial feet. The man reveals that he was the one who inflicted burns on her legs.

Eventually he does find her, but then she drugs him and begins to commit heinous acts of sadism to insure that his love for her will be permanent and that he will NEVER escape.

 

Public reactions were strong. Audition had its share of audience walk-outs. When shown at the 2000 Rotterdam Film Festival, one enraged female viewer confronted Miike by shouting at him: "You're evil!"  During uncensored members-only shows at the Irish Film Institute in Dublin in 2001, some patrons collapsed in apparent shock. One audience member was rushed to the St. James's Hospital but later discharged himself.

 

It’s a frightening but fascinating film, executed with great imagination. It will most assuredly cause you to lose a lot of sleep.

Author's Note

Please look at the many other films described in My Writing