Fml. This is what I’m talking about from now on when friends ask about “elevated” horror. Unique, grim, pleasant, heinous, Audition stands alone for me now. But… I may have a streak of feel good comedy reviews after tonight. 😭

I completely understand people having an issue with the long slow build to bonkers but brief climax, but for me it was a perfectly restrained arc into disgusting chaos. There’s an ominous tension lingering between every line of dialogue and each interaction that I can’t quite articulate, but know that I need a shower after watching. Takashi Miike slowly and effectively pulls his viewer into a relatively straightforward, well acted love story, even when knowing something horrific is looming. 

We get to revel in 90 minutes of harmless, rather charming, “find a wife” dram-com plotting, which I didn’t expect but more than appreciated. And then there’s this absolute sledgehammer of a final 20 minutes, giving Audition a unique balance that still feels like nothing I’ve seen before. Relatively tame by the torture porn standards that would closely follow Audition’s 1999 release, our main characters are so carefully written and acted that it made every emotion feel as heavy as an anvil in its final act. 

Audition is a tragic look at grief and loneliness, coupled with a Japanese perfectionist sense of art and style that I adore. It’s already permeating my headspace as I write this near hours later at this point, normally having a review up within 30 mins of finishing. 

My guy Shigeharu is just the GOAT of ignoring red flags tho. 
💉🪡🪢🤷🏻‍♀️