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Title: Audition (1999)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Ryo Ishibashi | ... | Shigeharu Aoyama | |
| Eihi Shiina | ... | Asami Yamazaki | |
 |
Tetsu Sawaki | ... | Shigehiko Aoyama |
| Jun Kunimura | ... | Yasuhisa Yoshikawa | |
| Renji Ishibashi | ... | Old man in wheelchair | |
| Miyuki Matsuda | ... | Ryoko Aoyama | |
| Toshie Negishi | ... | Rie | |
| Ren Osugi | ... | Shimada (as Ren Ôsugi) | |
|
|
Shigeru Saiki | ... | Toastmaster |
|
|
Ken Mitsuishi | ... | Director |
|
|
Yuriko Hirooka | ... | Michiyo Yanagida |
| Fumiyo Kohinata | ... | TV station presenter | |
|
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Misato Nakamura | ... | Misuzu Takagi |
| Yuuto Arima | ... | Shigehiko as a child | |
|
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Ayaka Izumi | ... | Asami as a child |
In Tokyo, Shigeharu Aoyama is a widower that grieves the loss of his wife and raises his son Shigehiko Aoyama alone. Seven years later, the teenage Shigehiko asks why his middle-aged father does not remarry and Shigeharu meets his friend Yasuhisa Yoshikawa, who is a film producer, and tells his intention. However, Shigeharu has difficulties to approach to available women to date and Yasuhisa decide to organize a sham audition for casting the lead actress for the fake movie. They receive several portfolios of candidates and Shigeharu becomes obsessed by the gorgeous Asami Yamazaki. Despite the advice of the experienced Yasuhisa, Shigeharu calls Asami to date and he falls for her. But who is the mysterious Asami? Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
I was extremely underwhelmed by the much hyped Japanese horror film 'Ringu', so I approached 'Odishon' with some caution. I needn't have worried. 'Odishon' bears no resemblance to the lame supernatural chills of 'Ringu'. It is in fact closer to the more extreme moments of David Cronenberg, and the profoundly disturbing movies of Jorg Buttgereit, Shinya Tsukamoto, and Gaspar Noe.
Directed with great flair by Takashi Miike, and based on a novel by the amazing Ryu Murakami ('Almost Transparent Blue' and 'Coin Locker Babies'), 'Odishon' wipes the floor with Hollywood's recent output of supposedly "confronting" movies ('American Psycho', 'Boy's Don't Cry', 'Requiem For A Dream') and by-the-numbers serial killer thrillers ('Hannibal', 'Kiss The Girls', 'The Cell',etc.). Forget those safe, mediocre bores THIS is the real deal!
Miike lulls you into a false sense of security with his leisurely storytelling and quiet character development, which makes the pay off of the last part of the movie even more shocking and unexpected. Ryo Ishibashi is well cast as the middle aged businessman stuck in a rut, and the beautiful Eihi Shiina is absolutely astonishing as the girl of his dreams who turns out to be not QUITE what he expected.
The less you know about 'Odishon' the better. If you enjoy extreme movie making at its best you'll go ga ga over this first rate slice of shock cinema. Simply unforgettable.