Nippon Movies: Audition Review

Note: This review may contain plot spoilers. If you mind them, then please stop reading, although I have to remark here that the spoilers are nothing more than you would get from watching the trailer. Ahem.

I was lucky enough to obtain a copy of Takashi Miike's thriller opus Audition, after missing its run on Astro earlier this year. Thanks to Jo, I got myself an unrated Director's Cut of the movie, and I'm pleased to say it was everything I expected of it and more. This is one of the few times that a movie has actually lived up to its hype, and Audition is a solid entry in ensuring Miike's mastery of the "scary" genre. Enough gushing. On with the review..

The Story: Businessman Shigeheru Aoyama is crushed when his wife passes away in front of him. As the doctor pronounces time of death, Aoyama's son Shigehiko arrives, bearing a bouquet of paper flowers. Fast forward seven years, and we see that both of them are leading healthy (if lonely lives). Shigehiko is a bright, surprisingly balanced young man interested in Biology, and Aoyama's business is doing well. They have a good relationship, as shown by the banter between them at dinner time. The stress of being alone shows, and Shigehiko recommends that his father starts dating again. Unsure as to how to begin, Aoyama approaches his drinking buddy Yoshikawa, who happens upon an innovative idea. He suggests that Aoyama use an audition for a movie as a pretext for choosing a potential candidate. As the audition goes on, Aoyama is increasingly attracted to a mysterious girl, Asami. He asks her out and finds himself falling for this quiet girl with a hurtful past. When she dissappears suddenly, Aoyama seaches for her with frightening results..

What can I say? Miike fooled me utterly and completely. What started as a family drama that might even have a comedic turn, gradually grows into one of the darkest and goriest experiences I've ever been through (and I've watched I Spit On Your Grave). The viewer is pulled in, first as we see the Aoyama family dynamic and the patriarch's loneliness and despair, and then the strangeness takes over and never lets go. A seasoned horror geek, I cannot tell you how many times I wanted to close my eyes but I couldn't, which is rare. As usual, nothing is what it seems in this film, and slowly with the aid of flashbacks we discover the truth about Aoyama, and the darkness that is Asami. I have to stress that this is not a horror film in the usual sense. No ghosts walking (or crawling about). What it is, is pure psychological and physical horror that literally made my skin crawl.

You'll never think of piano wire in quite the same way, after this.

Japanese thrillers/horror have always been about the buildup and suspense, and Miike proves his mastery over this domain. The first half of the movie sees splashes of colour and plenty of life, which gradually seeps out (it does!) into a world where buildings are skewed, and the predominating colors are dark. I cannot stress enough that this is a very graphic movie. I always thought of myself as having a strong stomach, but obviously I was mistaken. Where Fulci and Argento made use of gore for maximum effect, Miike uses it sparingly, but with results that stay in your head hours after watching.

I won't spoil the ending for you, but here's what I can say. Asami is the Typhoid Mary of the millennium, getting back at men for their shoddy treatment of women in Japan. It is obvious in the preceding scenes how women are viewed there, and this is like a brick smashed hard against your head. Of course, there are other viewpoints on this, so I'll leave it to the viewer to decide. Just be sure to have a pillow, just in case..

The acting, while not superb, is excruciatingly well done for this type of movie. We see Aoyama's despair turn to hope and happiness, as his romance blossoms. Yoshikawa, cautioning Aoyama to be careful..and finally there's Asami, beautiful, quiet and subservient. Until the end.

There's just too much to say. Go watch it already.

Here are some more reviews:

KFCC's Review of Audition

Destroy All Monsters' Review