Oodishon (Audition, 1999)

Miike Takashi

Japan

115 min, color, Japanese (English subtitles)

Much ink has been spilled on Miike's films. The director is seen as the best representative of the new Japanese cinema, perhaps the only worthy heir to Fukusaku's legendary depiction of violence. Miike is an extremely prolific director and it would be pointless to try to stick all of his output under the same umbrella. However, there is something true to the assertion that the guy does not shy away from presenting violence in some very uncomfortable ways. Whether this is good or bad (this reviewer thinks it is good) will be up to the audience to decide. One thing is certain, Miike will make you squirm.

The premise of Audition is simplicity itself. Shigeharu (Ishibashi Ryo) is an ageing widower who takes up a friend's offer to stage a phony audition for a nonexistent film so that Shigeharu can choose a new wife. Among the many starry eyed hopefuls who show up, one by the name of Asami (Shiina Eihi), who is a former ballerina with somewhat strange and unsettling demeanor. Anyone familiar with Japanese horror film will immediately be on guard when an odd girl with long straight black hair and white dress shows up.

Shigeharu immediately falls for her and despite the warnings of his friend strikes a companionship with Asami. Very soon he ignores repeated signs that there's something terribly wrong with her past. None of the stories she tells pans out, and those that do have some semblance of truth end up being scary tales of murder. In the end, Shigeharu will have to pay for his lust, deception, and egoism in a way that is guaranteed to upset even the staunchest stomachs.

For all the fanfare about this film, Audition does not really deliver the goods. The film is very, very slow, and although this is a time-honored tradition in horror, when nothing happens for over an hour, one becomes to wonder what the point of it all really is. Miike claimed that this was done on purpose, to let the characters sink in so the audience can identify with them. Maybe. But then maybe not. I was past identification and well on my way to annoyance by the time the goings on became really creepy. There are several brilliant moments, and the ending is absolutely superb, but these are small payoffs for a film that's close to two hours.

Whatever his failings, Miike can startle even the most jaded viewers (like me). Take, for example, the scene where Asami waits by her phone for Shigeharu to call. She is kneeling on the tatami in a small room with no furniture. Only the phone is one the floor next to her, dimly illuminated by the light. At the edge of the shadow is a large bag on the floor. Asami is motionless, her head hanging low, the black hair completely covering her face. Seconds go by, it is obvious that something is horribly wrong, but nothing happens. Then... well, let's just say I nearly jumped out of my seat.

The most memorable part of the film is doubtless the ending, which I cannot disclose. Let's just say that a girl mumbling something that sounds like the English "kitty, kitty, kitty" while driving needles into someone's face is just a bit disturbing.

In the end, Miike does not really succeed with the horror and Audition ends up being overrated. On the other hand, there's something to be set about the quiet psychological intensity throughout. I think Miike did rather well although the quiet parts did overstay their welcome. Watching the film a second time, however, reveals things that are easily missed on initial viewing. For example, how much does love blind Shigeharu? Which parts of his memories are real and which are false, product of his wishful thinking. It seems that all the nice conversations with Asami were only in his head, while in reality she was telling him about being abused. Did she really show him her disfigured last boyfriend eating his own vomit? If so, why did Shigeharu blind himself to her nature?

Still, it is most certainly worth seeing. I have the unrated 115 cut on the R1 Ventura DVD, which some very cool extras (interview with Miike, director commentary) in addition to an excellent 1.85:1 widescreen transfer, a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, and very nice English subtitles.

June 1, 2003