Audition (Ôdishon) is an extremely interesting film. Yet another Japanese horror, it manages to produce more than a few scenes which raise the hairs on the back of your neck... It is, like so many other Japanese horrors, slow to start, but the gradual build certainly pays off with a truly horrific dénouement; like so many of Takashi Miike's other films, it ends up being so awful that its almost impossible to watch, yet you just can't look away, either!
The basic plot is, of course, extremely simple - A man is widowed, remains alone with his son for a few years, and then is persuaded that the easiest way to find a new "bride" is through setting up a fake audition. Fate draws his attention to a particular resume, and, of course, he ends up asking way too few questions when he finally gets to meet the girl.
Ryo Ishibashi gives a nicely laid-back performance as Shigeharu Aoyama, who becomes more and more obsessed with this mysterious girl. You should really watch the film before reading the following paragraph - Don't say you weren't warned!
*** SPOILER ALERT ***
The most impressive scene, to my eyes, was the first date. When you initially see his date, the conversation is innocuous and innocent. What stands out is that this sequence is full of strange edits. It only becomes clear, during a flashback at the climax, that what we saw was a date through rose-coloured glasses - When Aoyama looks back at his experiences with the girl, we get the full version of his date, where she exposes quite clearly how crazy she just might be...
*** END SPOILER ***
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