Audition

Audition is an interesting parallel to Trier’s Antichrist, which suffers a little in comparison and suddenly seems tacky. Takashi Miike’s filmmaking is (following in Andrei Tarkovsky’s footsteps) minimalist and correspondingly brutal and clean. He sketches out a life truth worthy of pondering, making you dredge up important moments that you might have experienced and, in the end, putting your head in the guillotine. If the reasons why the main character is so fascinated by the femme fatale had been more clearly defined, I’d give this film five stars and call Audition a "Japanese Vertigo". (20/12/2009)

The Japanese are perverts, and Takashi Miike most of all, but the hype surrounding this film about its unbearable violence made me expect something a lot worse. It’s true that there are two very intense scenes, but not to the point that I had to look away. That said, someone unprepared could be quite shocked. Yeah, and I’d do away with those dream sequences, they are pointless and annoying, and they are the main reason I’m giving the film only an average rating. (29/05/2008)

A lot of quality craftsmanship and interestingly hinted at ideas and parallels at the service of an unintelligible insane story that doesn’t offer anything. I love the way Miike first lulls the viewer into a fairly easygoing family drama with long static shots, then adds a fun montage during the audition proper and then he speeds up the editing and the unstable framing when it’s no longer clear what the protagonist is about. It’s a pity that in the end this completely scapes the numb viewer, who’s probably legitimately outraged at what’s happening on screen, but without being led to escalate their reaction, also because of what it’s actually happening and why. A cult that I understand but can’t follow. 65% (16/10/2020)

Falling in love usually hurts. Takashi Miike knew how to hit a sensitive nerve, quite literally in several of the scenes here. The perfect movie for Valentine's Day. (15/02/2020)