Auditon (1999) (Japanese) - Poster, Plot, Sypnosis, Review, Trailer

Director:Takashi Miike
Genre:Drama / Horror / Mystery / Thriller
Cast Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Tetsu Sawaki, Jun Kunimura, Renji Ishibashi, Miyuki Matsuda, Toshie Negishi, Ren Osugi, Shigeru Saiki
Country: Japan
Runtime: 115 minutes.
Language: Japanese
Also Known As: Ôdishon
IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0235198/

SYNOPSIS/PLOT

The film opens as Aoyama loses his wife in a hospital. Adrift and despairing, his teenage son advises him to get a new girlfriend. A friend then concocts a scheme to hold an audition for a movie so that Aoyama can see a number of eligible girls up close.

The audition drags on for an entire day and Aoyama is regretting the idea. But he is entranced by the last girl to audition, Asami. Asami is a former ballet dancer who seems to have a profound insight into life.

Aoyama thinks of her constantly, but his friend calls him to say that her references don’t check out, and that a record producer she claims to be on contract with has been missing for a year. Regardless Aoyama calls Asami for a date. Over dinner he asks her about the record producer, and she admits that she doesn’t know him at all and lied to make it appear that she wasn’t a complete amateur. Aoyama accepts this as reasonable.

More dates follow and Aoyama is besotted. His son notices his happiness and asks when the proposal will be. Aoyama admits he is planning to propose when they go away to a hotel in the country for the weekend.

At the hotel Asami strips naked and asks Aoyama to look at her, and he sees some enormous burn scars on her thighs. She begs him to love her, and only her, and when he agrees, they make love.

Aoyama awakes to find Asami gone. His friend advises him to give up on her, but Aoyama begins to search for her. He finds her old ballet school closed, and the bar she claimed to work at closed a year earlier when the owner was murdered. Eventually Aoyama gives up in despair.

IMDB REVIEW

Well, we always knew the Japanese could do horror films with exceptional flair, but psychological horror hasn’t been this exhilarating (and ultimately nauseating) since, well, since, I don’t know when. Beware, this is not for the weak of heart, and don’t be fooled by it’s satiric comedic set-up. When the “audition” is through, you may want to throw up, or praise the film-makers for being so bold. (8/10)

TRAILER