Audition (DVD)

...finding one; together they audition a thousand women for a potential film. Yamazaki Asami immediately attracts his attention, and when he actually meets her in person, he falls in love with her. For a while, the feeling seems to be mutual, then Asami goes missing. Investigation proves that Asami is not all that she seemed to be. Will Aoyama ever see Asami again. More importantly, will he ever find out the truth about her?

The one ...
...the original theatrical trailer for Audition and a trailer reel, showing clips from the director's other films, which look as bizarre as Audition.

I did enjoy this film. The first hour is very slow - according to imdb.com, when the film was shown at the Rotterdam Film Festival, there were a record number of walkouts, presumably because the film didn't seem to be going anywhere, and I can understand that some would not get past the ... more

Aoyama is a successful company director who unfortunately loses his wife while his son is still very young. A few years later, at the bidding of his son, he decides to go about looking for a wife. His friend comes up with a rather novel way of finding one; together they audition a thousand women for a potential film. Yamazaki Asami immediately attracts his attention, and when he actually meets her in person, he falls in love with her. For a while, the feeling seems to be mutual, then Asami goes missing. Investigation proves that Asami is not all that she seemed to be. Will Aoyama ever see Asami again. More importantly, will he ever find out the truth about her?

The one thing that first struck me about this film is that it is not your typical Asian horror - and considering this film is directed by Takashi Miike, who is also responsible for the ultra-violent Ichi the Killer, I was expecting something much more overtly violent and shocking. The first hour, far from being blood-thirsty and full of violence, is actually more like a very slow thriller that is building up to something. At times, I was really unsure where the film was going, and although I didn't exactly get bored, I was getting a bit impatient. That is not to say that things weren't hinted at during the first part of the film - we do know, for example, that there is something very strange about Asami and her desire to put live people in sacks - it's just the introduction is very very slow and thorough. Thankfully, just at the moment when I might have thought of giving up, the whole tone of the film changes and becomes much more interesting.

The slow start does have one advantage; unlike many Asian horror films where we barely get to know the characters before they start getting killed off, there is quite a lot of character development here. Ryo Ishibashi plays Shigeharu Aoyama. We see him lose his wife right at the beginning of the film, and then his developing relationship with his son, who eventually persuades his father that it is time he gets remarried. It is slighly creepy watching him all in love with a woman who is so much younger, but he nevertheless manages to carry it off, and it is all too obvious how upset he is when Asami goes missing. And towards the end when things start to get really gory, he shows his agony incredibly convincingly.

I wasn't too sure about Eihi Shiina, who plays Asami, to begin with. I know in Japanese culture that women are much admired for their ability to be seen and not heard, but Asami is annoyingly perfect, respectful, quiet and boring in every way, and it was not easy for me, as a Westerner, to see what Aoyama sees in her. I also found the fact that she constantly hides behind her hair all the time very annoying. As the role begins to develop, however, she does really grow into it, and at times, she is truly terrifying without really having to try all that hard. And although she is clearly deranged, I did get a certain amount of satisfaction out of the the fact that she is a lot more powerful than she first seems.

The way that the story is told is very strange, but I found it intriguing. The first hour is quite straightforward - it is simply telling the story as it happens. Then we go into what seems to be a dream sequence, although it isn't very clear how much of it is a dream and how much is reality. There are also flashbacks to Asami's childhood, which begin to allow us to see why she is so strange - however, again, it isn't always clear what is Aoyama's imagination and what is the actual truth. This will annoy some people, who like their stories to be straightforward, particularly when the rather ambiguous ending comes. Personally, I really enjoyed it, simply because I like films that take me in directions I'm not expecting.

On the whole, this is one of the least gory Asian horrors I have seen. There are some really nasty moments towards the end of the film though, that involves removing limbs. There is also a suggestion of sexual abuse, although nothing very graphic is shown. I would say that the 18 rating is probably about right, although it would probably be fine for 15 year olds and upwards, provided that they are not too squeamish.

There are a couple of extra features. The main one is a ten minute interview with the director, Takashi Miike, in which he explains his entry into the film industry, and his reasons for making films in the way that he does. He's not exactly the most charismatic of interviewees, and he does spout rather a lot about other projects, but it is worth watching for an idea of what the film is about. Then there is the original theatrical trailer for Audition and a trailer reel, showing clips from the director's other films, which look as bizarre as Audition.

I did enjoy this film. The first hour is very slow - according to imdb.com, when the film was shown at the Rotterdam Film Festival, there were a record number of walkouts, presumably because the film didn't seem to be going anywhere, and I can understand that some would not get past the first section. I certainly don't think this is a good film to watch in a cinema - it needs a more laidback setting where it can be stopped for a few minutes if the viewer is bored. However, I think the comparison between the slow start and the jerky, dream-like last part makes it really worthwhile. The story is based on a book by Ryu Murakami - I'm intrigued enough to want to read it, which proves, to me at least, that I must have enjoyed the film. Because of the slow start, I'm dropping a star, so four stars out of five.

The DVD is available from play.com from £9.50.

Classification: 18

Running time: 115 minutes 

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