Audition (Collector's Edition) (DVD)

...sits in on the film's audition which requires a female heroine in the main role. Not only would Aoyama be able to meet many women and ask them questions but he would also have access to all of their application material for further information. It seems like a highly efficient (if slightly creepy) way for Aoyama to find a new prospective wife; he reluctantly accepts.

Soon, the applicants start flying in and it seems that Aoyama is spoilt ...
...connected to her. When the audition day rolls around, he displays little interest in the other applicants some of which are very keen to get the part. But when Asami appears, his feelings are confirmed and soon asks her out to dinner. Asami is overjoyed with the attention he is giving her, delicate and complicated a flower that she is. It seems that Asami wants the same thing as Aoyama; companionship, but is Aoyama getting more than he bargained ... more

After slews of remakes, both of old classics and modern foreign shockers, it seems that horror cinema in Hollywood is on its last legs and has been for some time. Those of us who aren't content to watch the latest re imagining of a bygone exploitation flick - as is frequently the case; the original is better - or the newest instalment of the meandering 'Saw' franchise (what number are we on now? Six? Seven? Fifty-four?) have had to get our primal adrenalin fix elsewhere. I, like many others, have taken my interests (and my money) to Asian cinema who are still revelling in the ever inventive playground of extreme violence. It's sick and twisted, but it's sick and twisted with a certain playfulness, a certain cinematic flair and above all else with more of a sense of purpose.

I've been indulging for several years now (since 2002-2003 I think) but it's only been in the last few months that I've started to explore the mad, demented world of Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike one of the front runners of the recent extreme Asian cinema boom. Miike is extremely prolific (sometimes making up to six films a year. Six!) but only a handful seem to have made their way over to the west with any real exposure. 'Ichi The Killer' (2001) is one of his best known as is (to a slightly lesser extent) 'Visitor Q' (2001); both are films that take their audience on a visceral ride of depravity. The other day, I took a look at Miike's 'Audition', the film that first brought the west's attention to him and the very bizarre cinematic corner of the world in which he operates.

Now when I did my usual initial research before watching this, I was informed that 'Audition' is a film that works better if you know very little about it, if anything at all. I think that this is good advice and if this is something that anyone wants to adhere to themselves, I recommend maybe getting just the gist of the exposition (which will be detailed in the next paragraph) and then perhaps skip to the end of this review for a verdict/summary. Although I endeavour to not 'spoil' things in my writing, sometimes this is unavoidable and although I won't be revealing anything that's important (so please feel free to read on) but I might reveal seemingly insignificant information that may subsequently quash your viewing experience.

With that bit of housekeeping out of the way; the story revolves around middle aged company executive Shigeharu Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi), alone in the world after his wife died seven ago. His only pursuits are expanding/improving his business and raising his teenage son Shigehiko Aoyama (Tetsu Sawaki) who one night after dinner asks his father why he hasn't remarried. With this in mind Shigeharu confides in his friend Yoshikawa (Jun Kunimura) during a nightcap at a local bar. Yoshikawa is a producer for a production company who is in the process of getting a film project off the ground. He recommends that Aoyama sits in on the film's audition which requires a female heroine in the main role. Not only would Aoyama be able to meet many women and ask them questions but he would also have access to all of their application material for further information. It seems like a highly efficient (if slightly creepy) way for Aoyama to find a new prospective wife; he reluctantly accepts.

Soon, the applicants start flying in and it seems that Aoyama is spoilt for choice but there is one in particular that catches his eye: Asami Yamazaki (Eihi Shiina). Her accompanying essay intrigues Aoyama and as a result feels profusely connected to her. When the audition day rolls around, he displays little interest in the other applicants some of which are very keen to get the part. But when Asami appears, his feelings are confirmed and soon asks her out to dinner. Asami is overjoyed with the attention he is giving her, delicate and complicated a flower that she is. It seems that Asami wants the same thing as Aoyama; companionship, but is Aoyama getting more than he bargained for?

'Audition' makes for an interesting entry in Takashi Miike's expansive catalogue. Where something like 'Visitor Q' (those who have seen it will know what I mean) seems only interested in railroading taboos in what can be argued as a senseless exercise in sensationalism, 'Audition' to my surprise, shows great focus and restraint proving that there is method to Miike's madness.

For a start, the story (adapted from the novel by Ryu Murakami) plays out in a very simple fashion, almost languid. Shots are locked off and beautifully framed, forever drawing us in as Aoyama gets on with the humdrum of daily life. The film takes on a slow, hypnotic pace, getting under the skin of its lead character and the loneliness he feels living in an indifferent metropolis (Tokyo). Moments with him alone in the office elevator or experiencing an awkward episode with his secretary - who always looks like she's about to break down and cry (burdened with a secret love for Aoyama perhaps) - add a certain disconnected richness to the film's gradual narrative arc. It's all very atmospheric, especially when, for the most part, the film plays out without using incidental music or the like creating a vast yet serene void.

Performances are equally refined. Former punk rocker, turned actor Ryo Ishibashi plays the widowed Aoyama with quiet grace and a weathered maturity who has accepted long ago that life never plays the way we want it to. But he is not bitter. If anything he is the complete opposite; a gentle soul and a caring and considerate father - letting his son invite over a female friend with the same specialist, geeky interest as him: dinosaurs. This provides an interesting counter balance for the narrative. Instead of going down the usually cinematic road of not letting his young, naïve with the world and how it works son familiarise himself with girls to prevent him from feeling the pain he had once felt when his wife died, he respects his son's independence and ability to discover things for himself.

This is mirrored with the arrival of Asami; two seemingly quaint and harmless romances being experienced by both father and son but she, despite being only twenty-four years of age has a lifetime's worth of emotional and traumatic baggage that one could not begin to explain (so I won't). In short; she has reached a stage in her life where she has accepted that loss, like death, is a natural and inevitable aspect life. This ties in with what seems to be the overall theme of the film; loss and the acceptance of it, be it the loss of a loved one or loss of a limb (oops).

Eihi Shiina is aptly cast. She displays a pure and innocent charm but there is also something off about her. As Asami sits on the floor of a baron apartment starring at the phone, waiting for Aoyama to call her, with only a few sparse furnishings and a mysterious, bulky laundry sack for company, Miike slowly reveals that not all is well with this newfound romance. Something evil is clearly under the surface and when Yoshikawa starts to express second thoughts over Aoyama's choice, he is reluctant to believe: "I can handle any trouble that she may cause" Aoyama reassures his concerned friend with absolutely no knowledge of the trouble that's coming his way.

Said trouble doesn't appear for well over an hour but when it finally does, it starts out very subtly. Miike slowly increases the intensity knowing full well that a slow, tender grilling makes for a better dining experience than a quick, craftless dollop of fast food. After the initial break, the camera starts to move about more, becoming handheld for a while as Aoyama's world starts to implode but settles down again in time for the film's infamous yet highly enigmatic third act.

And enigmatic it shall remain, for the benefit of the uninitiated and those who are still reading. The final scenes of violence are indeed disturbing. Those already a follower of Miike won't find anything here that warps the mind as much as others. When compared to say that of 'Visitor Q', 'Audition' is somewhat tame. However it's the film's violence in a conceptual sense that will likely be the cause of some nightmares. Films like 'Q' and 'Ichi The Killer' feel as though they are taking place in a sick and twisted alternate universe, 'Audition' is very much grounded in our reality and as a result more disturbing. Going back to the physical aspect of it, gore hounds from the 'Saw' and 'Hostel' persuasion won't have too much trouble stomaching what is shown, however, 'Audition' is an example of extreme violence done right. It is imaginative and beautifully executed. It is both repulsive and intriguing in equal measure, with fascinating story and character development to serve as the film's foundations so that it's possible to give a damn about our victim when the bad things start to happen.

For those already into the scene; 'Audition' comes recommended. It's subtlety and restraint may aggravate those more used to Miike's later, 'crazier' films but there is a degree of focus here that I have yet to encounter with any of his other work. It is fiendishly meticulous and pulls the viewer in brilliantly, never letting go until its bold and pleasingly ambiguous end. For those new to Miike or extreme Asian cinema in general, 'Audition' is a great place to start. I'd rank it as Miike's most accessible film of this type. Although each of his films possess a heightened degree of stylised violence, they all have a very different style. Not bad for someone who (I've said before but I'm saying it again) has been known to make up to six films a year.

'Audition' should be a dish best served cold. Little should be known about it before viewing, hence the degree of ambiguity in certain aspects of this review. It is a disconcertingly serene and beautiful experience, one that you will likely remember for a while. Having said that, it is an acquired taste so caution is advised to those with limited experience in this realm of bizarre cinema but those who know what they're getting themselves into will find plenty to enjoy. Recommended.

Film Specs
Director: Takashi Miike
Year: 1999
Language: Japanese (with English subtitles)
Time Approx: 111 minutes
Certificate 18

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