AUDITION (Japanese) (1999)

‘I just want you to love me only.’

Usually watching torture horror was not my kind of cinema but Takashi Miike’s this film completely blows my mind in shattering way even after film is over. No horror flick disturbs me so much and I must say psychological horror/ Torture films are never as sadistic or disgusting as this one and yet it’s so unusual in deeper sense. I already watch it two times and the experience will always stay with me. It’s not just greatest Japanese horror only; behind all these blood and gore, Miike has projected a brilliant complex perspective of love and death like two parallel tracks where the pain or abuse is synonymous to real love and where dream and reality interplay in perplexing way. Hell yeah, it always makes me think twice before saying those three most wonderful words to anyone without commitment.

Caution- Don’t read following post if you haven’t seen it-
A mid age widower Aoyama, insisted by his teenage son and his video producer friend held a fake audition to select his future wife under disguise of selecting a heroine for a film. A teenage girl Asami holds Aoyama’s attention and becomes so subjective about her. Initially looking shy, feeble, soft spoken and tragic soul, slowly we come to know about her real gory face in the climactic later part. Though only one third of film is psychic horror and yet it makes you completely numb, Miike has maintained the early part with slow but involving way to the final chaos.

The climax part is the show time of Miike’s genius. A disfigured man drinking vomit in a bowl, a woman piercing sharp needles in the most delicate parts of human body, giving injection on tongue; Pain and torture here are almost equal to passionate love making and watching it is assaulting kick to your senses. The most chilling one is where Asami cold bloodedly murmurs, “killi…killi…killi”. Miike made the horror film where unthinkable disgusting images are treat of ecstasy otherwise how we can think of blood and gore as beautiful!

An absolute masterpiece of Takashi Miike and an unforgettable experience.