Audition (Odishon)

Takashi Miike, Japan, South Korea,, 1999, 115 minutes

It all starts off quite harmlessly. Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi), a film producer and widower, lives alone with his son. One day his son suggests that he find a new wife; so he holds auditions, pretending he’s casting for a new TV series. Browsing through the resumes, Aoyama is attracted to the picture of a young lady called Asami (Eihi Shiina). His friend and partner Yoshikawa has reservations, but Aoyama is entranced by the beautiful young girl. They go on a date and Aoyama becomes more and more enthralled with Asami. Then they go to a hotel for a weekend trip; Asami asks him to promise never to love anybody else... and vanishes the following morning. As Aoyama searches for her, he discovers more than he wanted to know.

It has to be said that the second half of Audition is very violent... in a sadistic way. If you are on the weak side I would not really recommend seeing this film. The production company advertises this film with “it will have you cowering in the aisles”, and it isn’t lying. The first half of the film builds a real sense of foreboding. Sinister little things - what’s in the bag? - combine to create an atmosphere like a more surreal version of David Cronenberg’s early works. Director Takashi Miike is possibly the most prolific filmmaker around: he made eight films between Audition and The Happiness of the Katakiri’s (a musical with dancing corpses and mattress shagging sumo wrestlers) and, at the time of writing had completed an additional eight movies. He does however have the talent to mix careful buildup with genuine gut-wrenching, hide-behind-the-seat moments.

You really do have to watch Audition, even if it’s just to see if your stomach can handle it.

Review by Sarah Stark and Neil Chue Hong
Written for EUFS Programme Autumn 2002