Slideshow
AUDITION
オーディション
Japan, 1999
Directed by Takashi Miike
With Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina
Based on the novel by Ryū Murakami
Approx. 113 min. DCP restoration.
It all begins when widower Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi) accepts his producer friend’s proposal to stage a bogus casting call to meet women. Aoyama is instantly smitten with the demure and seemingly subservient Asami (Eihi Shiina), and they begin dating — only for their roles to be reversed in the stunning dénouement. A take-no-prisoners feminist revenge tale; a misanthropic probe into the cultural malaise and isolation between women and men; and a visceral descent into the darkest corners of obsession; AUDITION is all of these things and more.
Reviews
“Along with PSYCHO, AUDITION is one of the great gearshift movies, starting out as one thing and then transitioning on a dime into something else entirely.”
– Scott Tobias, The A.V. Club
“Doesn't let you down, but bring a strong constitution — like any audition, it's a test of nerve.”
– Elvis Mitchell, The New York Times
“A prolific director known for his willingness to try anything as long as it’s weird, violent, or evil, Takashi Miike outdid himself with AUDITION.”
– A. S. Hamrah, The Baffler