Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2900 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-08-23
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: Japanese
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 75 minutes

Amazon.com
If you want the full sledgehammer-to-the-stomach effect of Audition, stop reading this review now. Just watch it and take the consequences. At first glance, Takashi Miike's jack in the box of a movie works like a romantic comedy: amiable widower Shigeharu Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi) decides it's time to find a new wife, and a friend suggests holding a fake audition to find the right girl. It soon becomes clear that there is something wrong with Aoyama's choice. This is no ordinary Fatal Attraction-style thriller, however; Audition slowly and carefully builds into a wrenching exploration of both deep male fears and the stereotype of the cute, submissive Japanese woman. Audition is by no means an easy movie to watch--even hardcore horror fans may have trouble--but it will stay with you for a long, long time. --Ali Davis

Customer Reviews

Ugghh!!!
The story unfolded ever so slowly and towards the end it became confusing. It's just a messed up story.

Loneliness Kills...
AUDITION concerns a lonely widower who holds a fake movie audition in order to screen potential brides. All seems fine, as the women are all young and beautiful, especially one girl in particular. This stunning woman has captivated our hero so completely, that he is blind to any hint of danger. He is, after all, tired of being alone. His desperation leads him to dismiss any advice or evidence that could jeopardize his future marriage to this dream-girl. Alas, love is truly blind! About two-thirds of the way through this tale, we learn just how deadly loneliness, coupled w/ an extremely damaged mind can be. Miike has fashioned a horror movie that tricks us into believing we are watching a touching love story. He strings us along, offering glimpses into a darkness that waits to spring up and snuff out all hope. The clues are there, but I found myself ignoring them, just like the hero does, hoping for an outcome that cannot be. Nope, this is a honeymoon ending in bloodshed. A wonderful dream, interrupted by insanity and mutilation. A story of loss, longing, childhood abuse, and vengeance. A shocker, best viewed without prior warning. Highly recommended...

Fun movie, then a little painful
The infamous needle torture is more conceptually gruesome than it appears in practice at the end of this film, but the foot amputation by wire is [...]hard-to-watch.

This is a pretty normal film about a man who lost his wife to illness and is being encouraged by his colleagues and his son to find another partner. That is, until it goes bonkers at the end ... a nice manipulation technique by the director. Eihi Shiina's range of performance from ideal femininity to psycho-killer is fabulous and accounts for a sizable chunk of the shock we experience at the end of the film. You'll watch the wire part because this woman is so beautiful and the pleasure she takes in her work so adorable.