Audition

8/8/20011h 55m

Theatrical Release (US)

~ She always gets a part. ~

Overview:

Seven years after the death of his wife, widower Shigeharu seeks advice on how to find a new wife from a colleague. Taking advantage of their position as a film company, they stage an audition. Interviewing a series of women, Shigeharu is enchanted by the quiet Asami. But soon things take a twisted turn as Asami isn’t what she seems to be.

Director:

Takashi Miike

Status:

Released

Language:

Japanese

Buget:

$250,000.00

Revenue:

$359,853.00

Key words:

sadism
man looking for wife
psychological thriller
torture
pretty woman

Cast

Ryo Ishibashi

~ as ~

Shigeharu Aoyama

Eihi Shiina

~ as ~

Asami Yamazaki

Jun Kunimura

~ as ~

Yasuhisa Yoshikawa

Tetsu Sawaki

~ as ~

Shigehiko Aoyama

Renji Ishibashi

~ as ~

Mr Shimada

Miyuki Matsuda

~ as ~

Ryoko Aoyama

Toshie Negishi

~ as ~

Rie

Yuriko Hirooka

~ as ~

Michiyo Yanagida

Shigeru Saiki

~ as ~

Toastmaster

Ken Mitsuishi

~ as ~

Director

View full cast & crew

Reviews (1)

John Chard
Written 10 year(s) ago
7
You'll only love me. Wont you?

As the film lovers of the Western World clamoured for more Asian horror, along came Ôdishon (Audition), a one of a kind sort of pic. Its positive reputation is well deserved, though what negative press exists is certainly understandable.

Run time runs close to two hours, and for ninety minutes of that time the film trundles along at a sedate pace. Director Takashi Miike is exploring the key characters, deftly providing an overlay of grief management, loneliness, sadness and even cruelty.

There's a deliberately hallucinatory vibe to the narrative, with many thematic beats ticking away, though answers are not readily available, where both the lead protagonist and antagonist have blurry mindsets, or do they?

It all builds to the Grand Guignol last quarter, where the film has gained its wince inducing rep. Worth the wait? Yes it is for sure, even if it is tinged with a sense of disappointment that there's one too many twists for twist sake. 7/10