User reviews

There are about 15 minutes of "Audition" that everyone remembers and talks about, and about 95 minutes of movie that you'd think didn't even exist if you listened to others' comments. But this is the director's fault; when you set out to shock your audience as much as Takashi Miike does in this film, you can't blame the audience if all they remember about your film is the shocking part.

Which is a shame, because "Audition" is quite a bit more than a mere horror movie. It's really more of a feverish psychological drama along the lines of a David Lynch film. In fact, in structure and tone, this film reminded me of Lynch's "Mulholland Drive," and if Lynch didn't have his own unique style and brand of film-making, I might wonder if he was inspired in part by this film when he made his own.

What other comments here have done nicely is summarize what "Audition" is "about." A man (Shigeharu Aoyama) mourning the loss of his wife looks to find the perfect woman to replace her, and he holds bogus auditions for an ostensible film role in order to find her. But the girl who catches his interest (Asami Yamazaki) turns out to be a much better actress than he bargained for. What other comments DON'T necessarily convey, however, is how much of this film takes place in the world of dreams, and how blurred the line between reality and fantasy is. This dilutes the violence of the film's final moments, because there is a strong suggestion that this violence is taking place in the protagonist's nightmares.

Is "Audition" a critique of the confined roles women are forced to inhabit in Japanese society? Is it about Aoyama's guilt in feeling the need for a woman to replace his dead wife? Is it about his fear of finding a girl that actually can replace her, thereby diminishing what he had with her? Is the film about the extent to which all relationships are "auditions," where each person involved makes him/herself vulnerable and exposes him/herself to acceptance or rejection at the whims of another? A case can be made for its being about all of these things.

When the violence comes at the end, it's not as graphic as the hype would lead you to believe. Even so, I wish Miike hadn't pushed the envelope quite so far. One has to wonder if the emotional impact of the film would have been any less just because the violence was less graphic, and I suspect the answer to that is no. The violence feels gratuitous and cheapens slightly everything that comes before it. It mars the film, but fortunately it doesn't ruin it.

This is far more of a thinking man's film that its reputation would lead you to believe. Those who come to it for the titillating shock of its gore are bound to be disappointed.

Grade: B+

Art-house horror flicks are not a very common genre (few come to mind except 'Don't Look Now') but Takashi Miike's film 'Audition' is a welcome addition to the canon. Beautifully shot and orchestrated, it is both a subtle personal drama and one of the most genuinely horrifying things I have seen. The early stages of this film resemble a work by Claude Sautet, only seen through a Japanese sensibility, about the relationship between an older man and a beautiful young woman, but there's something slightly discomforting both in the man's definition of the perfect partner, and in the person he finds who fulfills it. The story slides into first a mystery, and then a full blown horror story, the power of which comes from following a very simple golden rule: namely, make the audience care about the characters first: one small needle can be very very scary if you think that it's for real. And by keeping the meaning ambiguous (unlike, say, 'The Shining', with its self-defeating collapse into hyperbolic mania), the film also retains its impact after the initial shock.

This sense of ambiguity is also crucial to the film's claims to be something more than simply an unorthodox gore-fest. 'Audition' constructs, and then deconstructs, a certain vision of the world and the "horror" scenes are only part of this. The result is utterly beguiling, and one can even see similarities with Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness' in 'Audition's' portrayal of a man's complicit relationship with hell.

In some ways, this is not a universal film and I could not imagine it working in English: can you envisage any Western actress speaking the Eihi Shiina's lines with a straight face?. Whether that's because the film is saying something profound about Japanese culture, or whether the fact that it appears to do so can finesse the issue for foreign audiences, I'm not sure. Dramatically, 'Audition' is, despite its climax, not the best film ever made. But atmospherically speaking, it's a masterpiece.

Everybody faces this situation in his/her life sooner or later. You only just started a relationship and you are about to watch your first movie together. Personally you wouldn't mind a fair portion of violence and chills, but you suspect and worry that the other half prefers a slow and story-driven film with the emphasis on character development. But you needn't worry about this any longer, as Takashi Miike's "Audition" can perfectly satisfy both extremes. At least, theoretically speaking it can! This unforgettable and undeniable Japanese cult monument unfolds as a stylish and slow – better make VERY slow – moving romance drama, yet gradually but surely turns into a stomach-churning and nerve-tangling paranoia thriller with one of the most astonishingly engrossing climaxes ever captured on film. After seven years of living as a widower and devoting everything to raising his son, Aoyama wishes to remarry. A befriended movie-director wants to help Aoyama with meeting new women and arranges auditions for a non-existent movie. Aoyama immediately falls for the beautiful ex-ballet dancer Asami and carefully begins dating her. She's a beautiful young girl, but extremely introvert and mysterious. Aoyama's life subsequently turns into a psychological nightmare, yet the film's main strongpoint is how Miiki never fully reveals whether this girl is a lethal psychopath out for vengeance against the entire male race or that all the horror exclusively spawns from the protagonist's guilt and paranoid mindset. "Audition" is a truly strange and unique film. Miiki almost effortlessly seems to combine ambiances and elements that you always considered impossible to combine. At several moments during the first hour of the film, when the relationship between the two lead characters laboriously develops, you really wonder yourself how such a sober and melodramatic love story could possibly transgress into a reputedly shocking horror film, but it does! And how! The final ten-fifteen minutes are guaranteed to make you cringe and crawl in your seat and, I swear, you'll never look at a piano the same way again. I definitely also wouldn't advise this film if you already have a phobia for needles. Right from the opening sequences, Miiki effectively creates an intense atmosphere of depression and disturbance and maintains it throughout the entire film. He could also clearly rely on highly skilled and professional cinematographers, editors and production designers. The music is stupendous and the performances of both lead actor Ryo Ishibashi and Eihi Shiina are damn near perfect. This was Takashi Miiki's big international breakthrough achievement, and the least you could say is that he deserved it!

This movie does not fall clearly into the horror category. It is however, very psychological and nightmarish, dealing with trauma issues, fear and repression. The narrative structure is non linear, and it might have a few different meanings. At some point, the movie contains a high level of explicit violence. In my personal opinion, there is only a scary moment, shocking and well filmed. The plot ( or lack of it), is the weakest part. Music is not the best. The ending is a bit rushed too. So, a very acceptable movie, with some good quality moments, worth your time. Not a masterpiece though. My impression was that the movie could have been better just with a little extra work. This movie is listed in almost every top ten list of Japanese horror movies. In my opinion, this is not so, and this film has been overrated. However, you should watch for yourself and make up your mind.

In Tokyo, Shigeharu Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi) is a widower that grieves the loss of his wife and raises his son Shigehiko Aoyama (Tetsu Sawaki) alone. Seven years later, the teenage Shigehiko asks why his middle-aged father does not remarry and Shigeharu meets his friend Yasuhisa Yoshikawa (Jun Kunimura), who is a film producer, and tells his intention. However, Shigeharu has difficulties to approach to available women to date and Yasuhisa decide to organize a sham audition for casting the lead actress for the fake movie. They receive several portfolios of candidates and Shigeharu becomes obsessed by the gorgeous Asami Yamazaki (Eihi Shiina). Despite the advice of the experienced Yasuhisa, Shigeharu calls Asami to date and he falls for her. But who is the mysterious Asami?

"Ôdishon" a.k.a. "Audition" is a great horror movie with a creepy, disturbing and even realistic story but with less violence, weirdness and gore than the usual, for a movie directed by the Japanese director Takashi Miike. The characters are very well developed and the beautiful Eihi Shiina is perfect in the role of Asami. The scene when she says "deeper, deeper, deeper" is scary and remains imprinted in the mind of the viewer. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Audição" ("Audition")

Note: On 21 March 2017, I saw this film again.

Such a slow start but had been told it would be so was happy to wait for the film to get better. When things did get to more of the horror it wasn't tense, scary or interesting. Average at best. I was hoping for a twist and again none to be seen. Some good acting but overall a total wreckage of a story.

It's been a long time since a film burrowed so deep under my skin and just stayed there. This is easily Takashi Miike's best, and most unsettling, film to date, and he does it (mostly) without all the 'goo' he's normally associated with.

An aging business man decides (after some prodding from his son) that he should start looking at re-marrying. Being a middle-aged business man makes it hard for him to simply go out and meet girls, so his friend (a film producer) comes up with the idea of holding an audition for a quasi-real movie that he can use to meet some women. None of the applicants interest the man, except for one. A lovely young girl that seems all to perfect to be real. The man begins to court her, despite is friend's advice to the contrary, and soon discovers that she is nothing of what she seems to be and may be holding onto some very dark secrets.

Miike could not have structured the film better. Early scenes are full of levity and some quirky comical bits (many of the audition scenes are really funny), but as the film progresses the tone gradually moves farther from light to dark. The tone shift is so naturally implemented that it never feels sudden or out of place. By the time all surrealistic hell breaks loose the movie has you and won't let go.

For a character driven piece like this, even Miike's direction couldn't have saved it if the writing and acting weren't up to par. Fortunately they both exceed genre standards. You feel sympathetic for the business man, he is a lonely man and would appear to be a fine mate for most any girl. Yet, you also find yourself shunning him for his deceptive tactics. The girl is much the same way in generating mixed emotions; she is unnerving and just 'not right', but she seems so sweet and innocent that you really want the two of them to end up happy.

For want of not making this sound like some melodrama, read this; I have never heard two grown men scream so loudly watching a movie. I refuse to spoil anything about the scenes in question, but when they happen you'll know. Men will definitely find this freakier than women, but many of the scares work well without regard. Gore hounds might be disappointed though, as the film finds fear in a psychological way for the most part and avoids copious violence.

Enough praise can't be heaped upon this film, one of the best genre pictures ever and one of the scariest as well.

9/10

Just one word sums up Audition: mind-bending.

It's not a simple "good" or "bad" movie; it's just plain mind-bending. After watching it, I just sat there, dazed and confused for a while, trying to piece my thoughts back together. I've seen my fair share of psychological horror films, but rarely have I encountered one that delves into the realms of sex and gore quite like this. Audition takes those themes and cranks them up to eleven. It's like watching a collision between a freight train and a tsunami, and I'm stuck on the tracks with no way out.

The story? Well, let's just say it's not your run-of-the-mill plot. It tells the tale of a middle-aged widower looking for love through an unconventional audition process. But this isn't your typical talent show. What follows can only be described as a descent into madness, with a side order of pleasure and pain, that leaves you questioning your own sanity. The movie explores the darkest corners of human desire and the consequences of obsession, and it does so unflinchingly.

Director Takashi Miike doesn't hold back. He gleefully pushes the boundaries of taste and decency, with spine-chilling moments, disturbing visuals, and a narrative that'll keep you guessing until the very end. Audition takes you on a journey where every moment is more disturbing than the last, as if Miike dared himself to make the audience squirm in their seats, and he succeeds.

If you're looking for a movie that'll leave you slack-jawed and wondering what on Earth you just witnessed, Audition is your ticket. It's a wild, unsettling ride into the depths of human depravity that'll make you rethink the meaning of horror. This mind-bending, soul-shaking spectacle will leave you gasping for air - and maybe therapy.

I saw this and Ringu on the same day. I had very high expectations for Ringu, and found it to be rather predictable and overhyped. I was worried that Odishon would be the same.

No worries: Odishon is far superior, and IMHO the better horror film. Why compare the two (other than the fact I saw them back to back)? Because both are highly hyped modern Japanese horror films about the revenge and hatred a damaged young woman takes out on the world. Odishon conveys far more horror on a more personal level without depending on a supernatural element, and I found Odishon's Asami far more terrifying and creepy than Ringu's Sadako.

Takashi Miike's "Audition" has to be one of the best Japanese horror movies I have ever seen.Ryo Ishibashi plays Shigeharu Aoyama,a lonely middle-aged man.After many years of being loyal to his deceased wife is the right time to begin dating again.His friend Yasuhisa decides to set up a fake casting audition in hopes that his friend can find new wife.Aoyama then goes through countless portfolio's looking for women to audition,but as soon as he sees the beautiful Asami's picture he knows that she is the one.Soon they begin dating.Everything seems perfect at first,but is Asami all that she seems?"Audition" isn't as violent and outrageous as "Fudoh" or "Ichi the Killer",but it certainly delivers some of the most harrowing scenes of violence ever captured on screen.The film is atmospheric and artistic,so if you're looking only for gore and violence avoid this one like the plague.However if you're a fan of Miike's works this masterpiece is not to be missed.10 out of 10.

Based on a novel by Ryu Murakami, director Takashi Miike's Audition is surprisingly "deliberate" and straightforward for much of its length. It's not a bad film at all, but most of it is in the realm of realist drama, even becoming something of a romance at one point. There are a few brutal images and scenarios, but they arrive primarily towards the end of the film, and they tend to be more conceptually disturbing than graphically violent.

Audition is the story of Shigeharu Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi), who is living alone with his son, Shigehiko (Tetsu Sawaki), after his wife, Ryoko (Miyuki Matsuda), passes away. First egged on by Shigehiko, Shigeharu decides to remarry. He enlists the help of a movie producer friend, Yasuhisha Yoshikawa (Jun Kunimura), who devises a scheme well known to pornographers--he sets up bogus auditions for a film.

Yasuhisha acquires a large number of resumes and headshots for this purpose, out of which he asks Shigehiko to choose 30 women to audition. Before the audition day even arrives, Shigehiko has his eyes set on one particular woman, Asami Yamazaki (Eihi Shiina). Asami strikes Yasuhisha as peculiar, but Shigehiko has fallen for her and a romance begins. However, Yasuhisha turns out to be right--there is something strange about her, as the audience can clearly see due to the fine performance from Shiina. Audition explores Asami's story and her relationship to Shigehiko.

It's a good hour, at least, before anything very out of the ordinary happens in the film, and even when that time does arrive, the strange occurrences are extremely subtle at first. The pacing and tone of this first half of the film is more similar to Hideo Nakata's style as displayed in films like Ringu (1998) and Dark Water (Honogurai mizu no soko kara, 2002). This is only the third Miike film I've seen so far (I had difficulty tracking them down for purchase or rental before I joined Netflix), and the directorial style of Audition was surprising to me. That's because so far, every Miike film I've seen has a completely different style (the other two I've watched to date are Ichi the Killer (Koroshiya 1) and Happiness of the Katakuris (Katakuri-ke no kôfuku), both from 2001).

But as a realist drama that ventures into romance and slight mystery/thriller territory during its first half, Audition is a fine piece of art--you just have to know what to expect. All of Miike's films that I've seen so far--as different as they are stylistically--share excellent direction. Miike is extremely adept at handling his cast, he knows how to get incredible cinematography, and he has interestingly varied ways of blocking scenes. Audition has a combination of a voyeur and a psychologically dissociative theme in its cinematography, appropriate to the plot. We view quite a few scenes from a distance--the camera is sometimes even placed in a room adjacent to the main action; there is a great hand-held tracking shot following Shigeharu and Yasuhisha through their office from behind partitions ala James Whale's Frankenstein (1931); an important "repeated scene" in a restaurant that gives us another psychological angle, with significantly altered dialogue, is shot at a distance; in the dénouement, another repeated dialogue scene with shifted meaning is shot from another room, and so on.

Of course, the main attraction for most folks, at least in my part of the world, is the more mysterious and visceral material that enters in the second half, as the majority of Miike fans tend to be horror fans. For awhile, Miike, Murakami and scriptwriter Daisuke Tengan (whom Miike amusingly says must have "been on drugs" when he wrote Audition, because the script was so weird--he implies that he tried to "normalize" it a bit) play with audience expectations as Audition threatens to become a more standard relationship thriller, then a ghost story, then a rubber reality film (all of these things are implied in turn during one of the best extended sequences of the film), and finally, we realize that it's more about a psychotic villain. This final revelation leads to the infamous climactic scenes of the film, which will test some audience members' constitutions as we venture into more grisly territory accompanied by marvelous hallucinatory sequences. The performances in this section are worthy of a 10, even if, as Miike says in his commentary, Shiina, at least, seemed to almost stop performing and simply became the character--a frightening thought, particularly for Ishibashi.

There are a number of subtexts that one can read into Audition, although Miike characteristically (for Asian genre cinema) stresses an intention of ambiguity. Many read the film as kind of a twisted feminist empowerment fantasy. After all, even if Shigeharu did not have the womanizing history and ill intentions for the audition that some characters believe him to have had, those beliefs are in line with at least a cynical misogynistic account of the typical motivations. Shigehiko's "girlfriend", who makes a brief appearance, is presented as a counterexample to be surmounted on this reading, as she is a traditional token of a more yielding female. Shigeharu's coworker who says she is going to get married is presented as a more implicitly "abused" counterexample.

But the film works on many other levels, too, no less a very literal one. Although I only thought Audition was a "B" (the letter grade equivalent to my 8) this time around, I can easily see my score improving on future viewings when I have more appropriate expectations. If you are a fan of Hideo Nakata's films, or even Byeong-ki Ahn's Phone (2002), which is very similar in tone, you shouldn't miss Audition.

"Audition" begins as a mild drama about a widower who seeks a bride by screening women during a film making friend's casting call. What he gets is not what he expected. A clean, crisp, and highly stylized shoot, the first half of the film is pieced together one piece at a time, building curiosity more than suspense. In the denouement, however, the film breaks up and scatters, losing coherence in a sort of macabre, grisly, and frenetic montage. For many that will serve as a more than adequate dose of horror. For others, it will cheapen the result for there is no terror greater than that which can be perceived as real. It is difficult to have realistic perceptions when looking through a kaleidoscope of gruesome imagery. Horrific stuff for horror film buffs.