'Audition' is an eerie tale of a man (Ryo Ishibashi) who in his search for a new wife at the insistence of his son holds an audition for potential mates. He disguises his actual intentions by saying that the audition is for an actress to star in a new movie that he is making. When at last he finds the perfect woman (the model Eihi Shiina) she disappears leaving a bizarre trail of gruesome murders in her path... This collector's edition of 'Audition' features specially prepared
Audition is a slow burn. Known mostly by reputation at this point, Takashi Miike's Audition is a horrifically suspenseful film that very successfully dupes the viewer into a false sense of security before what could be a relatively mild romantic film turns sinister. Shigeharu is a widower whom everyone, including his teenaged son, encourages to get back in the game, but it has been so long how does he go about it? Well, a colleague of his sets up an audition for an unmade TV pilot in hopes of showing Shigeharu something he likes. A little deceptive, but it has the makings of a wonderful romantic comedy. Shigeharu finally sees one woman whose demure personality makes her perfect Japanese wife material, Asami. For the first 45 minutes of the film, the viewer is left in a position of limbo, wondering where this is all going as nothing specatular seems to be happening, that is when it happens. It would be rude of me to pull the cat out of the bag and explain the entire plot because the films success relies of the element of surprise and lulling the viewer into complacency. Allow me simply to say, that all is not as it seems, and this film is not for the faint of heart, or stomach. Asami, it turns out, has some issues to work out, some things that she has been trying to get over with past relationships, but those relationships tend to get a bit rough. Miike's ability to blend fantasy and reality, dream life and waking life, and keep the viewer guessing is pure genius. As Shigeharu confronts different phantasms, he is left wondering, much as we are, "who is this woman?" He often has fantasies that turn out not to be true, and, unforunately for him, he trusts this woman for a little too long. It is only in the final 10 minutes that we see the real Asami in the flesh, and Shigeharu discovers that his fantasies were all too real. This Tartan DVD features an exclusive interview with Miike at the International Film Festival of Rotterdam, a favorite of his. Listening to Takashi Miike speak you do realize that he is a serious artist, and even while sometimes making a dozen films per year, he manages to put his stamp on everything. Not unlike the mark Asami leaves on Shigeharu, kiri kiri kiri...
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