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Audition
Audition
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Audition

Audition

1999
Drama, Suspense/Thriller
1h 55m
Seven years after the death of his wife, company executive Aoyama is invited to sit in on auditions for an actress. Leafing through the resumés in advance, his eye is caught by Yamazaki Asami, a striking young woman with ballet training. On the day of the audition, she's the last person they see. Aoyama is hooked. He notes her number from her file, calls her and takes her to dinner. He hesitates to call again, worried that he'll seem too eager... (imdb)

Audition

1999
Drama, Suspense/Thriller
1h 55m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 58.84% from 3225 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(3252)
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Rated 29 Jan 2012
90
90th
Slooooow burn. This movie makes me want to give up the married life and start dating again.
Rated 19 Oct 2020
77
77th
First time watching this. I (somehow) didn't know what to expect, but it really went up a notch towards the end. Bloody hell. This was very good, if deeply unsettling at points. I need to see more of Miike's work. Fascinating.
Rated 01 Jul 2012
1
12th
First hour is mind numbingly boring with some horrible character interactions (the son is so annoying) and pointless dialogue. The writers are so lazy and terrible that they just wanted to show you some torture at the end but gave the character literally no reason to participate in such an activity. If you thought this was badass because it's a woman doing the torturing...congratulations, you're a dipshit.
Rated 29 May 2008
80
74th
So yeah, it's out there, it's disgusting, it's nasty, but scary? No. A girl torturing a helpless man while saying "kiri kiri kiri"...not scary, but gross, disgusting, nasty? Yes.
Rated 18 Jun 2012
90
76th
Takashi Miike work with this in a very patient and careful manner; easing and coddling you to acquiescence, but then to your shock a quick but violent abandonment into the abyss envelops; keeping you on the edge of your sanity while you the viewer futilely tries to distinct reality from dream. The subtly drawn in but wicked finale is a separate entity but without the pieces of the puzzle that bring you there, you'd be begging Asami to take you deeper, deeper, deeper.
Rated 17 Sep 2011
80
84th
Themes of loneliness, isolation, sexism and cruelty run through this bizarre film that breaks further and further down into smaller, more fragmented pieces of fucked-up weirdness as each minute passes. The film can be viewed in roughly two sections. The first: slow and dreamy. The second: nightmarish and terrifying. There is virtually no overlap and the first doesn't prepare you for the second. Watch this and you'll never look at cheese-wire in the same way again.
Rated 21 Mar 2010
91
96th
Audition really clicked with me. Unlike most, I thought the part leading up to the final 20 minutes was great. I had a ton of sympathy for Aoyama, was intrigued by the mystery of Asami, and from the moment I saw that cursed sack toss, turn and growl, I was on the edge of my seat (being utterly chicken-hearted yet fascinated by creepy slow burns probably helped me enjoy the movie a lot more than your average viewer would, however). Love how open for interpretation it is, too.
Rated 18 Mar 2010
82
54th
It kind of drags, but I actually think that is the point. Just so the super romantic ending is even more romantic.
Rated 22 Jan 2010
80
84th
The feel good romantic-comedy of 1999 as envisioned by Takashi Miike. There are some flaws but I think overall the atmosphere and suspense is top notch. This could make for a nice snuggle on the couch type evening with your loved one. But really..pay attention to the creepy cinematography in this film. Takashi Miike is a master at slowly building up a surreal unnerving atmosphere without ever revealing all his cards until the very end.
Rated 10 Sep 2008
85
82nd
Masterful torture porn (really. I never put those 3 words in proximity.) that gets its drama - and shock - from the shit-bowels of the human psyche, not just in the unholy mutilation of the body. The last third works so rightly as a nightmare because the first two thirds could be so easily confused with a Gere/Roberts romcom. Its visual sumptuousness is icing on the bloody cake.
Rated 05 Apr 2008
85
93rd
If you've never heard of this movie, see it, don't ask about it, just see it. If you have heard of it and not seen it, what are you waiting for?
Rated 03 Jul 2018
25
13th
Being totally honest I didn't understand even half of this film but that tiny girl absolutely gleeful torturing the poor dude made it all worth watching
Rated 03 May 2016
40
32nd
A dream inside a dream that's actually a reality. A strange ending to this macabre story. One of the prettiest psychopaths yet committed to film. However, it's mostly shallow & lifeless. Much like the acting from the pretty sicko. It's a long boring slog up to the twisted, chopped up & convoluted ending. Amidst the confusion is a story of a sick mind effectively hidden behind a pretty face & body. Dozens of missed opportunities to be better.
Rated 18 Nov 2012
80
86th
Imagine going into this cold, getting invested in what is seemingly a more or less conventional plot, only to then be, crudely put, pierced with your pants down. Unfortunately, almost the entirety of the audience a film like this draws will be prepared to be disturbed and even so, what awaits at the end of Miike's very best film is pretty damn effectful. "Kiri kiri kiri kiri kiri kiri!"
Rated 31 Oct 2009
93
83rd
A fascinating study about what sort of behavior society expects from each sex. Also, a deformed freak in a sack laps up a woman's vomit.
Rated 01 Aug 2009
78
80th
Hellish!
Rated 13 Mar 2008
75
73rd
I really want to love this movie, but it's just not as shocking as it was when it came out. It's a one (or two) trick pony, I don't think I can watch it a third time. Miike hadn't grown as a filmmaker at this point and it shows in this film -- it's actually kinda ugly and, dare I say it, poorly made -- but then again so is most horror, right?
Rated 22 Oct 2015
100
99th
"They're pretty much the same... lonely people."
Rated 15 Jul 2015
20
5th
Tame set-up, followed by a choppy attempt at delving into a psychological experience (this section also assisted in segueing into the industry standard level of bizarre for Japanese cinema) & finally the violent finale. Toothless characters offer no real message to retain. Maybe with some tweaks and a pacing shift, this could be remade as a biting response to the Tinder culture.
Rated 31 Dec 2014
70
56th
Digs unter the skin of classical bullshit movies about middle aged men seeking love and living something romantic in return and turns the genre upside down by showing the societal subconscious of the Japanese (or the modern) society in a hardcore way, good job.
Rated 14 May 2014
60
29th
One of the most fucked-up and disturbing films on gender relations ever, but ultimately a flawed success. Occasionally too slow, occasionally too exploitative, it is partly redeemed by Miike's sane instincts when it comes to building tension and visual imagination (the wicked surrealist stretch, which could be a template for the finale of "Mulholland Dr.") and the overall weirdness. Would make a fine pair with "Oldeuboi" -violent vengeance tales with dysfunctional family ties at the center.
Rated 21 Mar 2014
85
72nd
this was such an odd, disturbing film, and went way, way over my head when i first watched it. but going back to the film after reading a few analyses about its real meaning, i have to say i'm really impressed. the film takes such a universal issue and portrays it in such a raw, grotesque and yet strangely true way. such a strange filmic experience, one that was utterly different from all the tropes and conventions i know. this introduced me to a new visual language and i'm glad i watched it.
Rated 23 Jan 2014
89
68th
Wu... Uh.... bu.... g.....ffsj.... ...okay. I watched this without the knowledge that it was of a certain genre. That is how it was meant to be watched. You shouldn't even know the genre going in. Just go in blind. Let the movie be exactly what it is. Honestly, the cover of the movie was a bad choice, and I didn't see that either. I watched it knowing absolutely nothing but the title and I was completely rewarded for it. Incredible cinematography.
Rated 15 Dec 2012
82
74th
Of course there is a burn on her leg right before we get to see her cooter. Fucking bullshit.
Rated 25 Jul 2012
88
67th
kiri kiri kiri kiriiiiiii
Rated 01 Jul 2012
95
91st
The most harrowing last 30 minutes of a film I've ever witnessed.
Rated 22 Apr 2012
10
96th
Yessss, yes, an insane and ambitious Japanese movie that finally hits its mark.
Rated 17 Apr 2012
45
34th
More a feminist revenge fantasy than a horror movie, perhaps, this was OK but didn't end up doing a lot for me.
Rated 27 Mar 2012
90
94th
Evil. Disturbing. Masterpiece
Rated 03 Feb 2012
67
0th
A memorable end to an overall ok movie. Was expecting it to run a bit longer than it did. It's pretty tragic, both victims were in a way auditioning to eachother and it's most notable scene will definitely stay with you. The tension builds quite nicely and the performances are very good but like most horror films I was never scared. The gore was intense but the creepier stuff never bothers me all that much. Although I admit it does get pretty disturbing very quickly. Deeper, deeper, deeper.
Rated 17 Sep 2011
80
88th
It's hard to talk about "Audition" without ruining anything but I can say that it's definetly one of Miike's best.
Rated 16 Aug 2011
40
8th
While I appreciated the slow buildup to the horror, the paper-thin characters and the sadistic tone of the final twenty minutes or so leave the film with little to recommend it. That is, unless you like cheesy romance and bone-cutting wire.
Rated 03 May 2011
60
57th
Wow, after one hour of boredom I almost fell asleep, it speeds up into to full force sick kiri kiri madness. This is why you don't stick your dick in crazy.
Rated 27 Mar 2011
20
44th
Well-made Japanese sickie doesn't tip its hand early, courting boredom. In the end, the unscrupulous shuffle of fantasy and reality is as hard to take as the gruesome scenes of torture and mayhem.
Rated 09 Mar 2011
70
56th
Approached as a horror film, it's disappointing. That was my initial reaction when I saw it years ago. Returning to the film from a much more mature mindset, I approached it as a drama and enjoyed it. The first half is oddly charming, with the second half being an increasingly surreal Lynchian nightmare. I think it's overrated as a "horror masterpiece", because it certainly isn't. It's a solid and very unconventional drama.
Rated 08 Mar 2011
80
87th
It's refreshing to find a horror movie that doesn't insult the intelligence of the audience with annoying pop-up shit. The pacing is unconventional for the genre, but I think it works for this movie. Directing and editing are top-notch.
Rated 31 Oct 2010
86
71st
One of my favourite horror movies because it still makes me shiver when I think of the cold bloodedness of the killer
Rated 21 May 2010
89
84th
awesome....great build up to a sick and deprived ending..this is a roller coaster ride and it is such a great and screwed up ride
Rated 10 Apr 2010
75
70th
Wow the last half hour is so gory. Nice story build up
Rated 11 Jan 2010
50
21st
UGH.
Rated 22 Dec 2009
100
97th
One of the best kinds of genre film, which lives up to its notoriety and horrifying nature even on multiple viewings and still has a deep emotional core that drives it. It is still Miike's best film for me and having read the original Ryu Murakami novel, it is also the superior of the two versions.
Rated 26 Nov 2009
100
99th
Alluring capture of a ghastly encounter.
Rated 15 Oct 2009
70
66th
The bait and switch in this movie is pretty effective, and I give it credit for not following the same old horror cliches. But the ending - which is undeniably shocking - mashes together: dreams, flashbacks, fantasies, realities and alternative realities. I don't have enough space to list all the lapses in logic and impossibilities that fill the last few minutes. I suppose Miike chose shock value above everything else, when making the film, and I should have just let the shock overwhelm me.
Rated 29 Sep 2009
44
5th
Flat-lines from out of the gate. Slow, uses a few too many horror conventions, and culminates in sadly unpoignant torture porn.
Rated 18 Sep 2009
78
71st
Quite the disturbing film. Very provocative. The ending doesn't make a lot of sense at first, but the film works as a whole. Not something for people who can't stomach a bit of blood.
Rated 03 Sep 2009
87
79th
Most of the time you pass just waiting for ... it could have been better with more action and a little bit of Visitor Q crazyness. But it's nice anyway.
Rated 24 May 2009
80
75th
Great thriller, I admit the slow start would put many off but it's a great surreal view of a really bad date
Rated 03 May 2009
3
12th
Huh? Dull romantic melodrama followed by torture porn? A few scenes of pure terror and some nice performances, but it's really not notably above something like Hostel.
Rated 15 Jan 2009
95
98th
Miike's genius thriller, truly creepy, confusing at first, an almost dreamlike puzzle the viewer has to put together, I think any horror/thriller fan should definitely graduate to this level of movie watching.
Rated 04 Jan 2009
90
89th
Dark, disturbing, gruesome, and all done by a woman? ...My kinda movie!
Rated 22 Dec 2008
52
27th
So the general concensus is that the beginning is boring and the last 15 mins are great. I disagree. The first hour and a half i felt did a great job of creating tension. You knew something was effed up with this chick and you couldn't wait to see what. The scene where she's sitting by the phone and it finally rings is one of the best scenes I've ever seen. The end just confused me, and I'm not sure what's real, and it just felt like shock value to me. I'm just gonna say, ending disappointed me
Rated 11 Nov 2008
70
83rd
(2nd rewatch) I love how Miike lingers viewers away in the first, Ozu'esque part of the film, just so the second part would hit even harder. Well made shock film, with underlying commentary on sexism in Japan.
Rated 17 Aug 2008
90
95th
The girl in this is as creepy as, and towards the end I was totally squirming! Joe Bob Briggs would say "check this out", I do
Rated 28 Jul 2008
98
95th
one of the best of Miike's films. Horror movie but elegantly and beautifully done.
Rated 28 Jul 2008
86
82nd
Arguably the most tense film I have ever seen. It flips SO HARD from the first hour to the second that it was like being in a car accident...in a great way. The tension that Takashi builds until we see the true nature of the villain is some of the best stuff I have ever seen. the scene when they first call her is fantastic. there wasn't much about this film that I didn't love.
Rated 04 Mar 2008
87
81st
One of the only films to have made me feel physically sick
Rated 23 Sep 2007
80
74th
develops nicely, and ends on a good note
Rated 23 Sep 2007
85
59th
It's absolutely brutal. It goes to show you what can happen when you try to abuse your position of power for gain. The balance of family relationships plays into its themes as well. The less you actually know about Audition going in, the more visceral it will be for you.
Rated 21 Sep 2007
96
97th
Similar to Rosemary's Baby without a clear ending
Rated 14 Aug 2007
84
77th
Though the pacing is near murderous at times, the movie more than makes up for it by making you cringe like you're being electrocuted for the last half-hour.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
78th
At some point it turns into something I could only describe as a trip of cinema in its purest, most intense form.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
86
92nd
Does anybody know WHAT IN GOD'S NAME HAPPENS IN THE LAST FIFTEEN MINUTES OF THIS MOVIE.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
75
65th
Does he deserve what he gets? Discuss it with your friends.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
99
99th
The only reason the people on this site rank it any lower than 80 is because they are too stupid to understand what is going on. I have no idea what went on either, and I've watched it several times. That's sort of the point. This is one of my favorite movies. I would give it a 100 but I'm sure part of my confusion is do to the hackneyed subtitling job that I have on my DVD.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
80
92nd
Will destroy your mind. Recommended.
Rated 28 May 2007
10
17th
Dull as dust
Rated 20 Jan 2007
96
97th
Toppled by Anti-Christ in my sickest movie of all-time list; but still it evoked strong emotions. This is my favourite horror movie, as it made me think long time ago that the real terror was not about blood, pain or supernatural things but in an eerie smirk shown in the right place at the right moment
Rated 20 Dec 2006
90
87th
OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD
Rated 17 Dec 2006
90
96th
Absolute masterpiece. Deserves its spot as the #3 horror movie of all time from AFI.
Rated 17 Dec 2006
80
91st
Audition marked Miike's big international break, and understandibly so. This is an original and extremely gut-wrenching movie. Miike's penchant for lots of evil and no easy answers really comes across.
Rated 19 Feb 2024
70
63rd
Never less than well executed, Audition often gets a certain tonal effect dead perfect. With these scenes - and I'm thinking specifically about the surreal montage prior to when the shit hits the fan - the film reaches it's peak. The climax doesn't hit as hard as it needs to in order to justify the lengthy, and not always riveting, build up, remaining perhaps a little too gratuitous to be taken seriously.
Rated 20 May 2023
70
30th
Grief with romantic pursuit becomes dream-like as it turns a blind eye to the reality of women's trauma. The societal expectation for men to choose, like an audition, where women who are unable to fulfill a "lead" role, by man's definition implies suitable as his happy lover. We see hints of his own adultery and only after his romantic curtain is finally drawn do we witness a woman set out to inflict pain with the growing resentment from her past.
Rated 20 May 2023
80
72nd
After cultivating a romance by creating a system to categorize and capture femininity, the protagonist has his dominant position usurped through the physical by the heroine. This is mirrored in the framing and structure of the film itself; what starts as a familiar rom-com is slowly undone by dream logic. Concluding in a series of impossible, unanswerable scenes as if directly from the conscience of the opaque feminine.
Rated 10 Jun 2021
65
45th
My first, probably overdue, venture into Miike. Sadly I can't say I was enthralled. The story is certainly intriguing, & the cast- specifically Eihi Shiina- turn in good performances, but the pacing was so slow & the arthouseyness in the second half really became too much for me. very cool idea, though, & what the climax has to offer is decently disturbing I guess. But, it wasn't quite as...harsh as I was led to believe. Also, the protagonist just isn't likeable, & that didn't help. Still, okay.
Rated 22 Mar 2020
8
82nd
kiri kiri kiri kirii
Rated 24 Jul 2019
78
67th
Nothing happens. And then, everything happens.
Rated 16 Oct 2018
86
93rd
Stylishly grotesque and thematically hit and miss... but I have never felt so simultaneously vile, unnerved, and sickened, yet somehow deeply satisfied at the end of any movie. So I guess it's exactly what a horror film should be. Nice one, Miike-san. Nice indeed.
Rated 26 Aug 2018
75
66th
Macabre Month of Horror review: https://youtu.be/Y7V6ZgosWhU
Rated 29 Sep 2017
85
92nd
KIRI KIRI KIRI. Miike is such a crazy director that he starts the film as a deadly sterile romcom shaped as a serious love story and then slowly turns it into a game of pain (literally, because according to Asami a man has to feel pain in order to be a man) and desire by developing nearly supernatural and femme fatale tropes altogether and wrapping things up in a 40-minute dreamy and hallucinatory climax (given to multiple interpretations of what truly happened).
Rated 15 Mar 2017
96
88th
A film that perfectly demonstrates the essence of being a fan of horror cinema - knowing you shouldn't look, but wanting to, or being compelled to anyway. Expertly built up from psychological thriller to visceral horror, this is a gruesome, grisly, gruelling, but brilliant and effective piece of work.
Rated 03 Jan 2017
4
74th
The utterly mundane banality of the premise - which could be rearranged into a Hollywood romantic comedy - allows this film to eventually sting so much. The general feeling is more akin to body horror than torture porn; extreme manipulation of the flesh borne from interior longing, rather than functioning as a quest for schadenfreude money shots. Some of its detractors downplay the gender role reversal, as if it doesn't place the film in admirable diametric opposition to unfortunate tropes.
Rated 26 Feb 2016
75
52nd
wat
Rated 01 Jun 2015
75
53rd
"Kiri kiri"
Rated 13 Nov 2014
84
89th
Mr. Miike, sir, you are a sick and twisted individual and I commend you for it. I was lucky enough to see this without any knowledge about it so I'm not going to spoil anything here. Just sit back, preferrably with a large audience and let this movie have its way with you. This is a hysterically audacious and revitalising viewing experience but I think a lot of the promotional material and hype kinda sabotage its effectiveness.
Rated 06 Oct 2014
60
25th
i can not think to date with a stranger anymore, and i don't recommend it to you also after watching this film
Rated 21 Jun 2014
55
7th
A decent idea but the writing and execution are extremely flawed. Three things that ticked off: 1) No consistent perspective! Scenes that come from her perspective ruin the tension. The movie's horror requires us to discover her in parallel with the main guy and it screwed up. 2) The first hour's angle/story was boring garbage: you can absolutely justify a misdirection plot but you can't justify a bad one. 3) The ending, not the horror scenes but the actual end, is incredibly silly.
Rated 27 May 2014
6
19th
A film about fears that appear to be reality
Rated 22 Apr 2014
90
61st
I think this is a fairly good introduction to messed up Japanese movies. Great build up in this movie.
Rated 25 Dec 2013
79
54th
An audacious, unsettling Japanese horror film from director Takashi Miike, Audition entertains as both a grisly shocker and a psychological drama.
Rated 08 Nov 2013
44
14th
Torture porn without any deeper meaning. See Hostel or The Act of Killing instead.
Rated 22 Oct 2013
59
61st
In my opinion the one Miike film that's worth watching, but knowing the premise in advance or that there's a twist almost ruins the effect. Even knowing who Takashi Miike is or seeing that poster kind of ruins it. Basically you have to be shown this innocently by someone pranking you.
Rated 04 Jan 2013
76
53rd
75.500
Rated 02 Jan 2013
76
77th
Interesting.
Rated 06 Dec 2012
77
51st
The story's backdrop is interesting enough, but it goes into surreal cuts two thirds of the way into the story that really just muck up the production. For doing a good bit of setup into why the antagonist is the way she is, it doesn't really build a stable enough foundation to satisfy me. It felt very half-baked, that part. It's not awful, and actually I have an appreciation for how 'Japanese horror' isn't done like American to beat horror into you at all times. But it wasn't enough.
Rated 31 Oct 2012
77
70th
I had no clue what was going to happen or what the film was even about, so I think I was able to enjoy it a bit more than most people who knew what was up going in.
Rated 25 Sep 2012
75
75th
Very memorable.
Rated 25 Aug 2012
39
19th
My first Miike and a pretty big disappointment, I had somewhat of a bad taste in my mouth even after the first scene and it was never anything of interest to me. Loved the little Tarkovsky nod though.
Rated 14 Aug 2012
55
25th
Audition is, basically, a mess. It has its funny moments (the audition itself and the tongues), its "wtf is going on now?" moments (the editing towards the end), its horrific bits (you know about them) and its memorable bits (Kiri! Kiri!) but most of all it has its boring bits. The problem is that the boring bits do not ADD anything to the story in terms of the fims actual message. I suspect the english subtitles do scant service to this film. Its OK, but it doesnt deserve its lofty rating
Rated 17 Jul 2012
68
38th
Most of the movie is about a middle aged Japanese man. His wife died seven years ago, and he decides he wants to find a new woman. He uses an audition his company is doing as a way of meeting someone. He ends up meeting a seemingly nice woman. Most of the movie is normal, you'd almost think it wasn't a horror movie, but about the last 30 minutes go really freaky. The woman is not what she seems. While it wasn't great, if you're a horror fan with a strong stomach, I'd reccomend it.
Rated 01 Jul 2012
89
98th
This movie is so well made it's creepy even before anything even really happens. Dripping with atmosphere, eerie tension and on the button acting.

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