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Audition

Original title: Ôdishon
  • 1999
  • R
  • 1h 55m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
85K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,772
246
Eihi Shiina in Audition (1999)
Official Trailer
Play trailer1:23
2 Videos
99+ Photos
DramaHorrorMystery

A widower takes an offer to screen girls at a special audition, arranged for him by a friend to find him a new wife. The one he fancies is not who she appears to be after all.A widower takes an offer to screen girls at a special audition, arranged for him by a friend to find him a new wife. The one he fancies is not who she appears to be after all.A widower takes an offer to screen girls at a special audition, arranged for him by a friend to find him a new wife. The one he fancies is not who she appears to be after all.

  • Director
    • Takashi Miike
  • Writers
    • Ryû Murakami
    • Daisuke Tengan
  • Stars
    • Ryo Ishibashi
    • Eihi Shiina
    • Tetsu Sawaki
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.1/10
    85K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    2,772
    246
    • Director
      • Takashi Miike
    • Writers
      • Ryû Murakami
      • Daisuke Tengan
    • Stars
      • Ryo Ishibashi
      • Eihi Shiina
      • Tetsu Sawaki
    • 505User reviews
    • 294Critic reviews
    • 70Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 5 nominations

    Videos2

    Audition: Special Edition
    Trailer 1:23
    Watch Audition: Special Edition
    Audition
    Trailer 1:42
    Watch Audition

    Photos112

    Eihi Shiina in Audition (1999)
    Eihi Shiina in Audition (1999)
    Eihi Shiina in Audition (1999)
    Eihi Shiina in Audition (1999)
    Eihi Shiina in Audition (1999)
    Eihi Shiina in Audition (1999)
    Renji Ishibashi in Audition (1999)
    Eihi Shiina in Audition (1999)
    Eihi Shiina in Audition (1999)
    Ryo Ishibashi and Jun Kunimura in Audition (1999)
    Ryo Ishibashi and Yuuto Arima in Audition (1999)
    Eihi Shiina in Audition (1999)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ryo Ishibashi
    Ryo Ishibashi
    • Shigeharu Aoyama
    Eihi Shiina
    Eihi Shiina
    • Asami Yamazaki
    Tetsu Sawaki
    • Shigehiko Aoyama
    Jun Kunimura
    Jun Kunimura
    • Yasuhisa Yoshikawa
    Renji Ishibashi
    Renji Ishibashi
    • Old man in wheelchair
    Miyuki Matsuda
    Miyuki Matsuda
    • Ryoko Aoyama
    Toshie Negishi
    Toshie Negishi
    • Rie
    Ren Ôsugi
    Ren Ôsugi
    • Shimada
    Shigeru Saiki
    • Toastmaster
    Ken Mitsuishi
    • Director
    Yuriko Hirooka
    • Michiyo Yanagida
    Fumiyo Kohinata
    Fumiyo Kohinata
    • TV station presenter
    Misato Nakamura
    • Misuzu Takagi
    Yuuto Arima
    Yuuto Arima
    • Shigehiko as a child
    Ayaka Izumi
    • Asami as a child
    Nattsu Tanahashi
    • Hotel front desk
    Kimiko Tachibana
    • FM announcer
    Tatsuo Endô
    Tatsuo Endô
    • Doctor
    • Director
      • Takashi Miike
    • Writers
      • Ryû Murakami
      • Daisuke Tengan
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Audition

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      When the film was screened at the Rotterdam Film Festival in 2000, it had a record number of walkouts. One woman, who had actually sat through the entire film, immediately walked out of the ensuing Q&A session past the stage, and hissed "You are sick!" at director Takashi Miike, much to his amusement and delight. At the Swiss premiere, someone passed out and needed emergency room attention.
    • Goofs
      (at around 1h) During their weekend getaway, Asami clearly removes all of her clothing then lies in bed and covers with a sheet. She then raises the sheet to expose the wounds on her thigh. The white panties can clearly be seen despite the fact that she just removed them.
    • Quotes

      Asami Yamazaki: Kiri kiri kiri kiri kiri kiri!

    • Alternate versions
      Available in "R" and "Unrated" versions.
    • Connections
      Featured in The 100 Scariest Movie Moments: Part V: 13-1 (2004)
    • Soundtracks
      Carmen Suite #1 - Intermezzo
      Composed by Georges Bizet

      Played on a piano by Renji Ishibashi

    User reviews505

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    Has Much More to Say Than Hype Would Have You Believe
    There are about 15 minutes of "Audition" that everyone remembers and talks about, and about 95 minutes of movie that you'd think didn't even exist if you listened to others' comments. But this is the director's fault; when you set out to shock your audience as much as Takashi Miike does in this film, you can't blame the audience if all they remember about your film is the shocking part.

    Which is a shame, because "Audition" is quite a bit more than a mere horror movie. It's really more of a feverish psychological drama along the lines of a David Lynch film. In fact, in structure and tone, this film reminded me of Lynch's "Mulholland Drive," and if Lynch didn't have his own unique style and brand of film-making, I might wonder if he was inspired in part by this film when he made his own.

    What other comments here have done nicely is summarize what "Audition" is "about." A man (Shigeharu Aoyama) mourning the loss of his wife looks to find the perfect woman to replace her, and he holds bogus auditions for an ostensible film role in order to find her. But the girl who catches his interest (Asami Yamazaki) turns out to be a much better actress than he bargained for. What other comments DON'T necessarily convey, however, is how much of this film takes place in the world of dreams, and how blurred the line between reality and fantasy is. This dilutes the violence of the film's final moments, because there is a strong suggestion that this violence is taking place in the protagonist's nightmares.

    Is "Audition" a critique of the confined roles women are forced to inhabit in Japanese society? Is it about Aoyama's guilt in feeling the need for a woman to replace his dead wife? Is it about his fear of finding a girl that actually can replace her, thereby diminishing what he had with her? Is the film about the extent to which all relationships are "auditions," where each person involved makes him/herself vulnerable and exposes him/herself to acceptance or rejection at the whims of another? A case can be made for its being about all of these things.

    When the violence comes at the end, it's not as graphic as the hype would lead you to believe. Even so, I wish Miike hadn't pushed the envelope quite so far. One has to wonder if the emotional impact of the film would have been any less just because the violence was less graphic, and I suspect the answer to that is no. The violence feels gratuitous and cheapens slightly everything that comes before it. It mars the film, but fortunately it doesn't ruin it.

    This is far more of a thinking man's film that its reputation would lead you to believe. Those who come to it for the titillating shock of its gore are bound to be disappointed.

    Grade: B+
    helpful•108
    17
    • evanston_dad
    • Apr 24, 2006

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    FAQ1

    • What are the differences between the theatrical version and the unrated version?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 3, 2000 (Japan)
    • Countries of origin
      • Japan
      • South Korea
    • Language
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • Buổi Thử Giọng Kinh Hoàng
    • Filming locations
      • Tokyo, Japan
    • Production companies
      • Basara Pictures
      • Creators Company Connection
      • Omega Project
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $131,296
    • Gross worldwide
      • $359,853
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 55 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS-Stereo
      • Dolby SR
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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