Review of Audition (2000) by Legitsalt — 21 Oct 2020

Takashi Miike's 1999 film, Audition, is a perplexing, enthralling masterpiece that deserves remembering as one of the best horror films out there, despite mostly not being all that scary. The movie is a slow and steady burn, it may feel lengthy at first watch, but it's under 2 hour run time breezes by upon repeated viewings. The movie's layers of suspense and sprinkled absurdity fit it perfectly. It builds up suspense and tension without ever giving into dramatic irony. It does this while simultaneously providing moments of respite that both prevent things from being taken too seriously and open the doors to new possibilities of horror. For the first hour and a half, the only scary elements of the movie are ones the viewer superimposes into the film. The last portion of the film may be gut-wrenching to some, but even this visceral horror is interjected by moments of abatement. Technically and thematically, the movie performs far beyond almost any of its horror contemporaries, presenting a critique of modern Japanese society in a well-executed and incredibly precise manner.

Audition tells the tale of a widowed middle-aged man set on the quest for a new wife at his teenage son's behest. Unaware of his coworkers' feelings about him, he works together with a friend to set up a semi-false casting call with the purpose of finding several candidates to date. Upon looking through the submitted auditions, one applicant catches his eye, a woman with over a decade's experience in ballet who had to give up on her dreams after a debilitating accident. Encapsulated by her story, he spends the next act trying to win her over, eventually agreeing to be with her if he loves only her. However, things may not be as they seem, as some of her history appears falsified, and she suddenly disappears. The question becomes whether the leading man will be able to give up on his dream girl or try and pursue a woman with no tangible connections.

Within this quest for love, Audition looks more generally at how adult relationships function in Japan, specifically at the treatment of marriage/remarriage what actions are seen as culturally normative. In this vein, Audition proposes a plausible scenario and looks at how it can spiral into disastrous consequences. How unrequited love manifests itself and impacts those at its center. How stigmatizing certain practices can result in unhealthy relationships. How commodification of women can be a double-edged sword. And how corporate culture in Japan impacts the forming and health of relationships. In doing so, Audition never fully shows its hand. It presents possible outcomes but also implies that they might be preposterous. It looks at horrific tortures and mutilations while simultaneously suggesting that they may not be authentic. The movie doesn't present a definitive version of its events or messages, and this allows it to become malleable and shaped for each viewer. What one person gets out of Audition is likely not the same as another, but these differing views can be confirming of their holder's worldviews.

Technically, Audition is also very nuanced. The ways that it chooses to shoot scenes, that is, the angles, lenses, and classical continuity conformity, give added meaning to the text. The mise-en-scene of the film is incredibly meticulous. Every camera movement and shot framing feels motivated and adds layers to the story and themes of the film. The restaurant scenes are especially noteworthy, each highlighting different aspects and employing varying techniques, something the film seems to be aware of as it revisits some of these sequences multiple times under different contexts. Each of the settings has different lightings and atmospheres associated with them, making them all uniquely striking and memorable. These distinctive settings highlight the film's surrealism and dream-like qualities, a central element in the film's open interpretation. The true meaning of the film's components may be unknown, but the possible readings and takeaways from the film show its true potential.