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created 12/15/97.
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created: 8/31/04
Audition
1999
(2002) - Chimera Entertainment (Ventura Distributors)
review
by Aric Mitchell of The Digital Bits
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Film
Rating: A+
Disc Ratings (Video/Audio/Extras):
B-/B/B+
Specs and Features
115 mins, NR, letterboxed widescreen (1.85:1), single-sided,
dual-layered, custom paper case, audio commentary by director
Takashi Miike, video interview with director Takashi Miike at
the American Cinematheque Theatre, video tour of the Egyptian
Theatre, theatrical trailers (U.S./international and Japanese),
photo gallery, Takashi Miike biography/filmography, preview
trailers for additional Chimera/American Cinematheque titles,
liner notes, animated film-themed menus with music, scene access
(24 chapters), languages: Japanese (DD 5.1 Surround), subtitles:
English
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Few
films from the horror genre terrorize their viewers like this
graphic, deliberately paced gem from director Takashi Miike. Audition
shifts from first to fifth gears without warning and leaves you
feeling somewhat deceived by what you've witnessed. However, the
change is intentional and the result is one of the best recent
horror efforts on any level AND in any country.
It starts with Aoyama (a widowed TV producer) holding mock
auditions for Ms. Right at the behest of his best friend. The role
is for the lead in a fictitious network production. Asami is a
mysterious young lady, who hopes to land the part, but ends up
capturing the real role instead. These two people share equally
traumatic histories, but different forces of nature bring out their
back-stories. Aoyama lost his wife to sickness. Asami survived
something much more sinister. For a moment, it seems the two may
have actually found happiness in each other - until Miike forces us
to see the world from a heinous reality as we enter Asami's past and
learn in mercilessly visceral fashion the woman she is and how she
came to be.
As social commentary, the Asami character should be admired for her
strength of will and utter disregard for resignation. While on the
surface she seems like an afterthought, she proves herself capable
of living in a man's world and making it her own. She has many
layers, but as each one peels away, we're left with an uglier, more
aggressive truth. She's a survivor. Even a predator. One example of
this is the gruesome surprise Asami has stored away in a burlap bag
on the floor of her apartment. She's obviously no stranger to the
ability of taking powerful men and reducing them to mindless,
tormented shells that would lick a bowl of her own vomit if she sat
it down in front of them (unfortunately, I'm being quite literal).
In fact, the men in her life have a history of holding great power,
only to have her assume brutal control when she grows fearful
they'll one day tire of her and say good-bye.
At the film's outset, there's something very bothersome about the
actions of the male characters. Putting women in a competition
against one another for the affections of one man is pompous, and
Aoyama's agreement to the process shows a dark side to his human
decency. However, it's difficult to see his inevitable suffering as
an even trade. He is a man, and he has agreed to something
chauvinistic, but his underlying interests are both well intentioned
and externally motivated by his other more secure male counterparts
(namely two, his best friend and teenage son). What makes Aoyama's
foolish choice to play along so forgivable is his vulnerability. In
a way, he's as victimized by his own gender as his female cohorts.
He rushes into the decision to have an audition because of pressures
forced upon him to move on when perhaps he's not quite ready to do
so. He shares qualities likened traditionally to women, thus the
conflict between his own masculinity and the ideals of those he
trusts are thrust against his more feminine nature. He's kind,
sensitive, nurturing and ready for commitment after many agonizing
years alone, with nothing but the upbringing of his son to quench
the thirst for companionship. The crux of the film's events all rest
on this one decision Aoyama makes to follow his friend's idea and
his son's "move-on-with-your-life" encouragement down a
very dark road from which he may never return.
Guiding Aoyama on his terrifying journey is Asami, one of the most
fascinating female leads to grace the horror genre since Jessica
Walter's turn as Evelyn Draper in Clint Eastwood's
too-often-overlooked Play Misty for Me.
However, these two homicidal characters are far from alike. Draper
was more of a thickheaded, proud, obsessive psychopath, while
Asami's straightforward neurological misfires can be largely
attributed to abuse, neglect and a perpetual fear of loneliness.
Neither woman is someone you'd want to meet at the local bar or
dance hall, but they have distinguishing human characteristics,
agitated to an insatiable degree by their perceptions of what men do
to them. In Play Misty for Me,
you never really get a clear picture of what caused the imbalance in
Draper's head. Audition is not
quite so viewer-friendly, and the explicit details work to build
sympathy for the destructive Asami. Her heartbreaking life mixes
with the meekness of Aoyama to put the viewer on a collision course
with tragedy. And with a gruesome, intense final 35 minutes, what a
tragedy it is!
The video presentation on this DVD stops just short of top-notch.
Colors are faded during the film's daylight portions, and the image
is a little soft for an effort so recent. However, the picture
quality is more vibrant in the final act, and the dynamic contrasts
of light and darkness add to the horrific, displaced effect of the
ending. This could be on purpose, considering Miike leads us to
believe we're watching an entirely different genre for the first 90
minutes. Overall, it's not the best digital presentation out there
and it's not anamorphic, but the letterboxed widescreen (presented
in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio) leaves viewers plenty of viewing space
and is highly watchable. As for the audio, the Japanese Dolby
Digital 5.1 mix is raw in tone, whether it's Asami and Aoyama
sitting at a table indulging in polite conversation, or the former
wrapping razor wire around an invalid old man's neck and squeezing
tightly. For a horror film short on music and background noise, Audition
could have gotten by on a stereo track with the same effect. Still,
it's nice knowing Ventura did the best they could.
Rounding out the disc is a somewhat worthwhile basket of extras,
ranging from deeply interesting to incredibly boring on the best and
worst ends, respectively. Extensive liner notes on the film and
Miike's body of work, an interview with the director from the
American Cinematheque Theatre, a host of trailers, and a Miike
biography supplement the package. There is a dull, 9-minute tour of
the Egyptian Theatre and an involving, informative Miike commentary
on the last 35 minutes of the film. How could a mind conceive
something so unnerving? And how do you tell illusion from reality?
Listen to this commentary after watching the film, and your every
question will be answered.
It's very hard to imagine an American version of Audition
succeeding on the same levels. Hopefully, we'll never be subjected
to such an attempt. Ultimately, this film wins out because of what
it has to say instead of what it has to show. There is graphic,
leave-nothing-to-your-imagination violence here, but the social
commentaries and vivid characterizations make these depictions of
brutality all the more compelling. Such a notion is lost on
domestic, watered-down horror. Whether this film is making a
statement about male and female roles in society, relating to anyone
who's ever experienced a bad break-up, or wrenching your gut with
raw, unequaled, blood-soaked horror, Audition,
like its female star, is a film with layers, surprises and ferocity.
Aric Mitchell
thedrummeraric@msn.com |
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