Film Screening: Audition

Takashi Miike’ shocking horror based on Ryu Murakami’s novel hides a story of bitter revenge and a critique of the dating culture behind a premise fit for a cosy romcom.

Widowed businessman Shigeharu Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi) decides to find a new wife, and with the help of his producer friend he stages a fake audition for the female lead in a non-existent film. After dozens of portfolios and meetings, he falls for Asami Yamazaki (Eihi Shiina), a beautiful and sad young woman. His producer friend finds her suspicious, but Aoyama is too enchanted with Asami to see that he has fallen into the trap of a dream girl who proves to be a nightmare.

Takashi Miike’s film begins as a heartwarming romcom about searching for a loved one, but as the genre shifts, the romantic element gives place to a discussion of the problematic means of finding love and the threat they conceal. Almost 30 years after the film’s release, global culture is facing the problems raised in the film: the illusion of controlled closeness in dating apps, systemic violence against women, and the tension created by their idealization and demonization. Today, the horrific Audition seems even more topical, while remaining a remarkable example of J-horror.

The film will be screened in Japanese with Russian subtitles.