Audition: 31 Days of Horror
For all of October, we will review horror films. Submit your requests here, and you may see your picks selected!
Reportedly, there were walkouts when Takashi Miike’s horror staple Audition was screened at film festivals. Many people know Miike for some of his more twisted works, including Ichi the Killer, so they may not be aware of the over one hundred works — on all kinds of screens — and the many genres that he works in (including works that are for all ages). It’s easy to look at Audition now and understand what you’re getting in to. That wasn’t the case during the premieres, allegedly. The urban legend is that Miike was told to his face that he was a sick individual for what he did. It’s the kind of story that makes me wonder how many other people can be tricked by this film. It’s impossible, given the poster art, home release cases, online reviews, and more. What if distributors went the extra mile to play into Miike’s joke?
For those that are unaware, Audition is one sadistic bait-and-switch of a film that starts out as somewhat of a romantic drama, full of quirks and aching hearts, only to dip deeply into some of the most disturbing horror content that was imaginable at the time. In all honesty, if you know nothing about the film, and were to miss the film’s one warning sign (a creepy sequence in the middle, involving a hint or two about what the film really is about), you may not pick up on the hidden intentions of Audition at all. It’s a secret I wish was kept alive (I’m clearly a hypocrite for this review, especially during the 31 Days of Horror; kind of a giveaway, right?). I could only imagine the subsequent reactions for decades to come.
Audition starts off as some what of a romantic drama, only to become one of the more twisted films of the ‘90s.
In hindsight, Audition is obvious. To those first watching, Miike could have made anything, so the trick worked fully. We start off with a grieving widower named Shigeharu Aoyama, whose entertainment producer friend urges him to find love once more. He goes the extra mile by staging a fake audition for a production that will never exist, but the selected candidate would end up becoming Aoyama’s new bride. It’s an insane idea, but the hurting Aoyama finally gives in and decides to move on, for the sake of his teenage son who only wishes for the best for his father. Without really giving a commentary on the casting process in the entertainment industry (not any serious one anyway), Audition proceeds as a discovery of love in an unlikely place: the shy Asami Yamazaki, played by Fukuoka icon Eihi Shiina, who was playing against type in this breakthrough role (only to find it defining her to many non-Japanese audiences for years).
Yamazaki is an introvert, but the audience discovers her deep secrets before Aoyama has a chance. By then, it’s too late. Sure, that revelatory sequence midway ruins the whole surprise, but Miike’s clever timing allows us to view at least a portion of the film through dramatic irony, knowing that Aoyama is in danger during the first watch of the film (other directors savour this kind of delight for repeat viewings). Like a runaway train, love has turned into idiocy, and we cannot stop what is coming because of it. The final act is pure pain and torture in every sense, as if Miike has welcomed us into his haunted house of torment. We see the kinds of things we’re not used to; I don’t believe I’ve seen Audition’s darkest events in any other film even still. Out of all of the people Aoyama could have chosen, it had to be Yamazaki. It’s a sick fate that lingers with viewers forever.
While common knowledge now, Audition’s final act still seems to come from a different place, rendering it a classic moment in the horror genre.
I can easily see why Audition bothered audiences to the point of revolt. Now that it can be watched with a different lens, I think it’s one of the finest Japanese horror films out there. It understands more than just the capabilities of the horror genre; it explores another genre completely as well. In the same way that it can be seen as a misrepresentation of a horror film for a good duration, it can also be looked at as a romance that goes extremely wrong (although I wouldn’t recommend this film in double billings with The Notebook or anything of that nature). All of the scares are savoured, so they hit much harder once they arrive (as if they weren’t disturbing already). Otherwise, Audition is an exploration of the emotional spectrum of someone who is in agony: a willingness to step outside of comfort zones in order to move on from grief. We wanted to see this aching widower find joy, only to see his life get much, much worse. This will forever be a memorable prank in cinema, whose substance greatly outweighs its gimmick (luckily). If you get fooled by the film now, I don’t know what to tell you except for “good luck”. You should know what you’re in for by now.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections M`anagement from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.