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Audition (1999) Horror/Drama
Directed by Takashi Miike
Starring Ryo Ishibashi, and Eihi Shiima
With a notable supporting role by Jun Kunimura
The last time I watched this was probably 2010. At the time I didn't notice any flaws, but this time around I did notice that some of the acting wasn't quite up to par, especially in the first half of the film. The weakest scene was probably the very first scene in the hospital. I think the strongest acting came from Eihi Shiima. Jun Kunimura did well also, and I've always liked him as an actor. But honestly if Takashi Miike was better at paying attention to detail this actually could have been a true masterpiece of a film. In Visitor Q I saw the mic pop into the shot in 3 different scenes. There wasn't anything like that in Audition, but Miike also did six other projects (movies, video, TV) in the same year.
Audition is an interesting horror film. It's not scary per-say, but it's certainly gruesome. The first 70 minutes feel like a proper drama with a good story albeit slightly boring content, but for the first watch at least it shouldn't feel boring. There just isn't enough impressive acting or subtlety to keep delving much deeper into the film after it's been watched two or three times. My first experience was also compounded at the time by my lack of familiarity with this style of film. So it was a very new experience for me back then. It expanded my perception of what kind of movies were out there in the world that I wasn't previously aware of, especially in the horror genre, and also in terms of realistic movies. Today, some years later, I am a little more aware, and as a result, less impressed. It's still a very solid film overall, but it's certainly not Miike's best.
The most interesting facets of Audition's story and plot come into full bloom around the 70 minute mark. At that point the backstory for Shiima's character, Asami Yamazaki, develops into the worst case scenario and then some. The movie's climax is the perfect delayed gratification for fans of the genre. At several points in the film there are interesting ambiguous scenes like dreams and flashes of insight. They serve to fill in some gaps at crucial moments and I think it works perfectly. The timing takes you out of what's happening, increasing the tension, and then brings you back for the clincher you were waiting for. It's like when your life flashes before you during a near death experience. You're taken out of it, time seems to slow, you gain insights, and then you get hurled back into it right before you're head hits the pavement so to speak. It's by far the strongest point in the plot structure of the film.
During the actual auditions, before the half-way point of the film, Kunimura's character asks the woman he's interviewing who her favorite actor is and what her favorite Tarkovsky film is. She replies with the name of some lame TV actor and both Kunimura and Ishibashi burst out laughing. I really loved that bit.
January 31st
Audition (1999) Horror/Drama
Directed by Takashi Miike
Starring Ryo Ishibashi, and Eihi Shiima
With a notable supporting role by Jun Kunimura
The last time I watched this was probably 2010. At the time I didn't notice any flaws, but this time around I did notice that some of the acting wasn't quite up to par, especially in the first half of the film. The weakest scene was probably the very first scene in the hospital. I think the strongest acting came from Eihi Shiima. Jun Kunimura did well also, and I've always liked him as an actor. But honestly if Takashi Miike was better at paying attention to detail this actually could have been a true masterpiece of a film. In Visitor Q I saw the mic pop into the shot in 3 different scenes. There wasn't anything like that in Audition, but Miike also did six other projects (movies, video, TV) in the same year.
Audition is an interesting horror film. It's not scary per-say, but it's certainly gruesome. The first 70 minutes feel like a proper drama with a good story albeit slightly boring content, but for the first watch at least it shouldn't feel boring. There just isn't enough impressive acting or subtlety to keep delving much deeper into the film after it's been watched two or three times. My first experience was also compounded at the time by my lack of familiarity with this style of film. So it was a very new experience for me back then. It expanded my perception of what kind of movies were out there in the world that I wasn't previously aware of, especially in the horror genre, and also in terms of realistic movies. Today, some years later, I am a little more aware, and as a result, less impressed. It's still a very solid film overall, but it's certainly not Miike's best.
The most interesting facets of Audition's story and plot come into full bloom around the 70 minute mark. At that point the backstory for Shiima's character, Asami Yamazaki, develops into the worst case scenario and then some. The movie's climax is the perfect delayed gratification for fans of the genre. At several points in the film there are interesting ambiguous scenes like dreams and flashes of insight. They serve to fill in some gaps at crucial moments and I think it works perfectly. The timing takes you out of what's happening, increasing the tension, and then brings you back for the clincher you were waiting for. It's like when your life flashes before you during a near death experience. You're taken out of it, time seems to slow, you gain insights, and then you get hurled back into it right before you're head hits the pavement so to speak. It's by far the strongest point in the plot structure of the film.
During the actual auditions, before the half-way point of the film, Kunimura's character asks the woman he's interviewing who her favorite actor is and what her favorite Tarkovsky film is. She replies with the name of some lame TV actor and both Kunimura and Ishibashi burst out laughing. I really loved that bit.