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Audition
オーディション
2000 115 min Japan R 18+
★7.0
Horror, Drama
Director: Takashi Miike
🎭 Based on
«Audition»
byRyū Murakami
Trailers
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Description
Seven years after the death of his wife, widower Shigeharu seeks advice on how to find a new wife from a colleague. Taking advantage of their position as a film company, they stage an audition. Interviewing a series of women, Shigeharu is enchanted by the quiet Asami. But soon things take a twisted turn as Asami isn’t what she seems to be.
Budget:
$250,000
US Gross:
$131,296
Worldwide:
$359,853
Starring
Ryô Ishibashi
Actor
Eihi Shiina
Actor
Tetsu Sawaki
Actor
Awards
5 wins & 5 nominations total
Key opinion
Audition is a polarizing cult masterpiece that begins as a deceptive, slow-burn melodrama before violently shifting into a visceral, hallucinatory horror film. While many viewers praise its psychological depth and strong central performances, the jarring tonal shift and intense graphic violence remain significant points of contention.
| Acting | Eihi Shiina delivers a haunting and transformative performance as the enigmatic Asami. | |
| Pacing | The film effectively utilizes a jarring structural shift from sentimental melodrama to graphic, sadistic horror. | |
| Ending | The narrative relies on extreme, visceral violence in the final act that some find deeply effective while others view as gratuitous. | |
| Direction | Takashi Miike’s direction successfully creates a lingering sense of unease through atmosphere and blurring the lines between reality and hallucination. | |
| Theme | The film offers significant thematic depth, exploring complex ideas regarding loneliness, grief, and the dark side of romantic obsession. | |
| Pacing | The slow-paced, methodical buildup in the first half rewards patient viewers, but leaves those expecting a traditional horror experience frustrated. |