AUDITION (Miike, 1999)

Takashi Miike is a genius. I find this point not even open to debate. Anyone who attempts to tell me otherwise will be met only with ridicule and disdain. AUDITION, to me, is his crowning moment (though I've seen only a smattering of the, what, 150 movies he made in the past 10 or so years). It's a complete and utter masterpiece, a twisted little social satire that never gets explicit in its message, instead piling on creepy visuals and layering subtext on top of deep undertones. His disciples, like Eli Roth, could learn a lot from the subtely of this picture. I realize that "subtle" isn't one word you'd usually think of to describe Miike's work, which is typically filled with gore and rape and the most disturbing imagery you'll ever see, but AUDITION is truly a work of gentle beauty and tense wonder.

Things begin innocently enough, with a story that seems jacked from a Tom Hanks vehicle. Shigeharu is a widower who gets tired of being alone. His movie producer friend encourages him to hold a fake audition and pick from all of the girls who try out for the lead. It's here that Shigeharu meets Asami, an injured ballet dancer who mystifies him. Things get strange after that, but I won't spoil what happens for anyone who's never seen it. I typically don't give a fuck for spoilers, but this is one time I'll make an exception.

OK, so I'll give a little, teensy bit away. AUDITION is a play on the horror film, wherein the Last Girl is actually a Last Guy, and the slasher is a girl. But it needs to be considered outside of the horror context, as well. It is set in Japan, land of arranged marriages and entrenched female deferrence. Shigeharu is quietly approached by several women, including his maid and his secretary (both in positions of servitude to him) and one of whom we later he actually did sleep with. He seems to ignore these women serving traditional roles, lamenting the loss of all the "nice" girls. He is drawn in by Asami, the ballet dancer (again, tradition), who is quiet and somewhat distant from him.

AUDITION also deals with loneliness. "All of Japan is lonely," one character says near the beginning, and Miike certainly makes it seem that way. Humans try to connect, but as one of the film's central themes indicates, you can never really know anyone. If you think you do, then you don't, plain and simple. Asami and Shigeharu are both profoundly lonely, but Asami feels she truly has no one, whereas Shigeharu has his son, the memory of his wife, his friends, his business associates. Relationships are ultimately about power; who holds it and who wants it. AUDITION plays out that power struggle in rich, lurid detail, culminating in one of the great ending sequences of our time. A classic of the 90s and the horror genre in general. Recommend it to anyone who says they hate horror. They'll either love it and buy you a drink in Miike's honor, or they'll never speak to you again. Either way, you win.