Audition (1999)
Stars: Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Tetsu Sawaki
Runtime: 115 minutes
Synopsis: A widower takes an offer to screen girls at a special audition, arranged for him by a friend to find him a new wife. The one he fancies is not who she appears to be after all.
Performances: 4/5
Screenplay: 3/5
Costumes/Makeup: 4/5
Editing: 3/5
Cinematography: 3/5
Score/Soundtrack: 4/5
Verdict: The second movie I watched in my series of Most Disturbing Movies ever made is Takashi Miike's "Audition", a recurrent entry in many lists I saw online while picking the films that were going to be featured and a film I've been meaning to check out for a while now.
About a widower's search for a new wife arranged through auditions, the film tells a fascinating story but never struck me as something I'd want to revisit. Not because it's disturbing because apart from a scene or two that are hard to watch and an at times unnerving atmosphere, the film was pretty docile in my opinion and I was left surprised that it was featured in so many lists, but rather because I found the pacing to be incredibly slow. I was simply bored throughout most of it, waiting for something interesting to happen that would turn the narrative around, but that something never materialized. I was still able to appreciate the committed acting (without spoiling anything, I was surprised to learn that props weren't used in one particular scene) and totally see why it's also considered a landmark in the horror genre.
I don't know if I watched "Audition" with the wrong expectations, and my thoughts about the movie could drastically change if I ever decide to revisit it, but for now I'm kind of mixed about it.
About a widower's search for a new wife arranged through auditions, the film tells a fascinating story but never struck me as something I'd want to revisit. Not because it's disturbing because apart from a scene or two that are hard to watch and an at times unnerving atmosphere, the film was pretty docile in my opinion and I was left surprised that it was featured in so many lists, but rather because I found the pacing to be incredibly slow. I was simply bored throughout most of it, waiting for something interesting to happen that would turn the narrative around, but that something never materialized. I was still able to appreciate the committed acting (without spoiling anything, I was surprised to learn that props weren't used in one particular scene) and totally see why it's also considered a landmark in the horror genre.
I don't know if I watched "Audition" with the wrong expectations, and my thoughts about the movie could drastically change if I ever decide to revisit it, but for now I'm kind of mixed about it.
FINAL GRADE: 6/10
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