Audition is a 1999 Japanese film (released in the USA in 2001) that presented a new perspective on films like Fatal Attraction, Misery or Betty Blue. Rather than seeming derivative, the film found its own path, creating an interesting drama before rewarding viewers with the disturbing psychological thriller elements in the final fifteen minutes. Intriguing and tough to watch.
Shigeharu Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi) is a single father. He loses his wife at the beginning of Audition, when his son is just seven years old. We catch back up with Shigeharu and his now teenage son, Shigehiko (Tetsu Sawaki) seven years later. Aoyama has raised a respectful son and managed to start a profitable business. His life has moved on and, at the suggestion of his son, Shigeharu is contemplating finding a woman. When he presents the idea to his friend Yasuhisa Yoshikawa (Jun Kunimura), a plan is hatched to search for a companion under the guise of a movie audition.
Yoshikawa presents Shigeharu with several envelopes filled with candidates for the movie role and encourages him to sift through the list and narrow it down to thirty. Shigeharu obliges, but has already set his heart on candidate number twenty-eight, an intriguing woman named Asami Yamazaki (Eihi Shiina). Asami is an attractive girl whose essay speaks of a maturity beyond that of the other candidates. Shigeharu is smitten by the young woman and is warned to take his time by his close friend. Throwing caution to the wind, Shigeharu moves full bore ahead in his relationship, ignoring warning signs along the way. Those signs catch back up to him when he realizes he is already in too deep.
Ryu Murakami adapted Audition into a screenplay from a novel written by Daisuke Tengan. Rather than feeling derivative of other similar films, Audition creates its own characters and circumstances. The characters are fairly well developed, although some of the development is intentionally held back to the final sequence to add to the suspense. The complexity of the characters is augmented by interesting dialogue and an odd credibility (or at least plausibility). The pacing in the first hour and a half is decent, although not gripping, which is not uncommon for a thriller. It wasn't necessarily sluggish, but it felt more like a standard drama, which appeared to be intentional. The final fifteen minutes climaxes in gut-wrenching violence that is graphically depicted. It was a nice build-up to a rewarding conclusion.
I am not familiar with the cast of this film, although I watched Tokyo Gore Police, which also stars Shiina. Shiina was superb as the demure love interest. She keeps the audience off balance just enough to wonder where the story is heading (although it is somewhat predictable). Ishibashi was superb in the lead role, creating a character that was real enough to invest in. The acting was standard drama before slipping rapidly into the thriller category, which was superbly well done.
Audition is a 113 minute R rated thriller from Japan. The rating is a product of mild sensuality, brief nudity, strong language and graphic violence. The violence is the main indicator of the rating. The violence doesn't really begin until the final fifteen minutes and then barely stops. There are scenes that are simply difficult to watch as things become super tense. This one will certainly induce nightmares. I would not allow pre-teens to watch it and cringed a few times myself. Mid-teens and above at a minimum.
I liked Audition. If someone were to refer to it as derivative, I would agree to a point. Only in the sense that the concept is not new. However, the packaging is fresh. This presents a unique story that bears little resemblance to the other films with similar plots. It is a fresh take on the concept, with nice dramatic elements leading up to high stakes violence. Intriguing and intense. 7.5/10.
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