Audition

Audition

Takashi Miike
1999

Audition is a 'classic' Japanese horror film directed by Takashi Miike. Like most of Japanese horror to terror lies mostly in the suspense while the violence is just the icing on the cake. If there is one thing that American horror movies don't focus on it's the suspense. Which is why 1 out of 10 horror movies that come out in America are just mindless gore-porn and end up falling short of a wait-til-it-comes-to-the-RedBox films. True horror can leave a deep scar in your mind that keeps the view always thinking bout it, mouths, even years later. The Japanese are perfecting this art in their films, so much that just the mere mention of watching a Japanese horror film sends people for miles just from the sheer rumored horror stories about the psychological effects it leaves.

Audition does this so well that the first hour and a half was just all suspense leading up to it climax. No real violence was dealt with until the last 20 mins of the film. The story focuses on Shigeharu Aoyama, whom in the beginning of the film lost his wife, but years later is encouraged by is son and friend to start dating again. He holds mock-auditions for the 'role' of his wife. Yes, this is a deceiving method of leering in a girl but he doesn't really hits on girls for kicks he genuinely wants to be happy and is looking for a soul-mate not a quick role in the hay. Asami, whom is the antagonist and is the women that Shiegeharu wants to be with, focuses on hurting people, based on her abusive past. And thats what takes up most of the film just trying to unravel Asami's and find out who she truly is. The film ends with a mind whopping conclusion that asks the view, was that all really real?