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#430 - Audition
Takashi Miike, 1999
A middle-aged widower who works for a video production company decides to hold an "audition" in order to find himself a new wife.
It's probably just as well that the promotional artwork for Audition frequently emphasises the female lead with her cruelly vacant expression and a lengthy syringe held ever so casually in her gloved hand, otherwise it's possible to walk into the film thinking that it's going to be some off-beat dramedy about a widower looking for love through unconventional methods. I mean, just look at that logline, then look at that header image (or vice versa). Of course, the fact that the film effectively spoils itself before one even gets to sit down and watch it is most likely a deliberate choice by the filmmakers - even when one watches the film and starts to pick up on the subtle hints that all is not what it seems, it's not hard to jump to some rather extreme conclusions. The film is content to play the waiting game as it sets up its sad and tragicomic tale. The widowed father of a teenage boy is encouraged to get back out there and remarry, so his friend who works in video production suggests that they hold an audition for a film and select a suitable companion from one of the applicants who isn't talented enough to actually get the role (which is not an uncommon practice within the world of the film, apparently). Eventually, he decides on one young woman whose despondent prose draws him in and...
Well, to go into any further detail would naturally spoil things too much (though like I said, it's one of those films where you do have to spoil it a little when talking about it), but it's an effective slow-burn that, though it does venture into genuinely unsettling and disgusting territory, doesn't feel like the kind of gratuitous shock-value content that I've condemned other films for using in the past. The frequently unobtrusive technical style eventually gives way to sufficiently mind-bending choices of photography and editing that are enough to keep an audience on edge through the surprisingly unpredictable second half and all the way up until the closing credits roll. The second half guarantees that this will most definitely not be a film for sensitive viewers, but Audition surprisingly exercises a relative amount of restraint that only serves to make the film as a whole have that much more of an impact as a result. It's got considerable substance beyond its more graphic scenes, with many scenes taking a satirical view towards subjects such as gender roles, loneliness, and the entertainment industry. It's all carried by some solid actors who are able to pull off shallowness or depth as the characters and story require.
Takashi Miike, 1999
A middle-aged widower who works for a video production company decides to hold an "audition" in order to find himself a new wife.
It's probably just as well that the promotional artwork for Audition frequently emphasises the female lead with her cruelly vacant expression and a lengthy syringe held ever so casually in her gloved hand, otherwise it's possible to walk into the film thinking that it's going to be some off-beat dramedy about a widower looking for love through unconventional methods. I mean, just look at that logline, then look at that header image (or vice versa). Of course, the fact that the film effectively spoils itself before one even gets to sit down and watch it is most likely a deliberate choice by the filmmakers - even when one watches the film and starts to pick up on the subtle hints that all is not what it seems, it's not hard to jump to some rather extreme conclusions. The film is content to play the waiting game as it sets up its sad and tragicomic tale. The widowed father of a teenage boy is encouraged to get back out there and remarry, so his friend who works in video production suggests that they hold an audition for a film and select a suitable companion from one of the applicants who isn't talented enough to actually get the role (which is not an uncommon practice within the world of the film, apparently). Eventually, he decides on one young woman whose despondent prose draws him in and...
Well, to go into any further detail would naturally spoil things too much (though like I said, it's one of those films where you do have to spoil it a little when talking about it), but it's an effective slow-burn that, though it does venture into genuinely unsettling and disgusting territory, doesn't feel like the kind of gratuitous shock-value content that I've condemned other films for using in the past. The frequently unobtrusive technical style eventually gives way to sufficiently mind-bending choices of photography and editing that are enough to keep an audience on edge through the surprisingly unpredictable second half and all the way up until the closing credits roll. The second half guarantees that this will most definitely not be a film for sensitive viewers, but Audition surprisingly exercises a relative amount of restraint that only serves to make the film as a whole have that much more of an impact as a result. It's got considerable substance beyond its more graphic scenes, with many scenes taking a satirical view towards subjects such as gender roles, loneliness, and the entertainment industry. It's all carried by some solid actors who are able to pull off shallowness or depth as the characters and story require.