Ōdishon (Audition)
1999
****
Director: Takashi Miike
Cast: Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Tetsu Sawaki, Juri Kunimura
A widower and his movie producer friend stage a fake audition in order to find him the perfect wife candidate. The man is completely spellbound by a young beautiful woman with some questionable holes in her CV. The film starts as a somewhat banal romantic comedy as these two awkward, deceitful people are slowly drawn to one another. Then the story takes a turn that defies all expectations, which leads to incredibly intense final 30 minutes. Is this really happening or is it just a bad dream? Miike throws this old storytelling gimmick on its head, as well. His film may be literally one of the most painful lessons in what happens if you treat women without respect. Based on a novel by Ryu Murakami.
