Audition (1999)
Directed by Takashi Miike
Viewed on Shudder Amazon
Today we’ll be looking at an incredibly appropriate Valentine’s Day horror film, Audition. If you’re big into horror then you may already have heard of or seen Audition, it received quite a bit of attention from film critics and influenced a number of now famous, in some circles at least, horror directors who were intrigued by the unique visual and storytelling styles that they saw. I’m gonna be a little bit vague on who was influenced and what movies came out of that because it would be a pretty big spoiler as to where Audition is going if you aren’t familiar with it. So before I spoil the ending, let’s talk about how Audition begins.
In the interest of not spoiling anything, I will do something a little unusual and give a brief rundown and recommendation before I go into anything too specific.
The Story!
Audition is a film about a widower, Aoyama, who, after raising his son alone following the death of his wife many years earlier, decides to get back into the dating game and find a new woman to settle down with. Unfortunately for Aoyama, he’s a bit rusty at the whole romance thing, so a friend of his sets up a fake audition to attract eligible young bachelorettes. Aoyama is a bit reluctant to go along with this but soon finds himself entranced by the enigmatic and beautiful Asami, a young woman who he feels a kinship with due to her painful history. Everything seems to go well for Aoyama as Asami is receptive to his advances, but unbeknownst to Aoyama, Asami has some dark secrets that may come back to haunt him. Again, I will try and not reveal the ending until the spoiler section at the end, but rest assured that it is a spectacularly disturbing finale.
Audition’s Charms
It isn’t just a powerful finale that makes Audition memorable, the whole film is a finely crafted exercise in slowly increasing dread. The mystery as to who Asami is and what happened in her past, and what she is willing to tell Aoyama, drives the plot and along with the mystery we are treated to a number of disturbing concepts, sad stories, and bizarre and haunting visuals. Everything here works together to ratchet up the tension and mystery until it explodes into an unforgettable climax that basically started an entire sub-genre of horror films, what is that sub-genre? Well, you have to stay until the spoiler section to find out, but rest assured, it is unpleasant.
I Desperately Want Someone To Re-Edit The Trailer To Look Like A Romantic Comedy
As I may have made clear already, I kind of love this movie, and where that starts is with the quietly brilliant setup for this story. Stories that change genre, or blend several genres, have a special place in my heart, and that is exactly what happens at the start of Audition. This idea of ‘a widower setting up a phony casting call so he can meet someone because he’s bad at romance’ seems tailor-made for a cheaply made straightforward romantic comedy, the kind of movie that’s been made so many times you can almost see it in your head without it really existing. But, like a lot of romantic comedies, the premise, once you spend a few moments thinking about it, is actually pretty creepy.
Spoiler Free Recommendation!
Okay, that’s as far as I can go without spoilers. Bottom line, Audition is a genre-bending nightmarish journey through gender politics, romance, and the baggage that we all carry with us. If any of that sounds interesting then I urge you to watch this film. It does get rather intense toward the end so, if you are particularly squeamish Audition may not be a good fit but if you’re okay with something a bit more out there in the violence and odd stuff department, then this just might be the movie for you.
Spoilers!!!
Okay, is everyone who doesn’t want spoilers gone? I’m serious, this is a movie where spoilers are pretty, well, spoilery. Alright, I’ll get started. The entire reason this movie started a sub-genre is the ending sequence where Aoyama is drugged by Asami and tortured for what she perceives to be lies from him. Yes, this is what started the torture porn sub-genre, and filmmakers are pretty open about that. Hell, Miike even did a cameo appearance in Hostel. Getting back to Audition though, what is so frightening, so affecting about this climax is how everything in the movie, the characters, the mystery, the gender politics, it all clearly adds up to what happens.
Asami’s Painful History
As we get to know Asami more and more, we learn that she’s had a rather hard life. Domestic issues, absentee parents, abusive guardians, and more have left a permanent invisible scar on her, and Aoyama seems ready and able to help her pick up the pieces and transition into a comfortable loving relationship in her adult life. The continuous pain and manipulation hurt her more than Aoyama expected though, and he was not exactly equipped to help her, which resulted in an unfortunate misunderstanding that led to the infamous grisly climax that has defined Audition.
Tragic Horror Extravaganza
In a lot of ways Audition is the poster child for tragic horror films. The whole film seems to be a sort of metaphorical of the ways in which men hurt women and how this continuous cycle of abuse, manipulation, and lies would affect someone. I have no doubt that film scholars can and have, written essays on the gender politics at work in Audition, but I’m just going to give this brief overview so as not to over-explain or miscommunicate what I think the meaning is. Asami suffered so greatly during her early years and that can change people, it doesn’t have to change them the way it changed Asami, but it can, and that abuse and further manipulation through the audition and whatnot certainly seem symbolic of all the ways in which women are continuously abused. Even though Aoyama was involved with this audition it was not his idea and he did seem to have a genuine emotional connection to Asami. It seems like he wanted to help, and was well-intentioned, even if he was a bit foolish in all his actions. The real tragedy here is the way this all ended. We understand why Asami was the way she was and we understand why Aoyama was the way he was and maybe things could have worked out under different circumstances but all we have is what happened, and that kind of tragic end stays with you. I wouldn’t call it a nihilistic ending, but it is certainly one that leans heavily into the tragedy of the situation.
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