Audition (Ôdishon) (1999)
85%RT Audience Score: 80%
Awards & Nominations: 4 wins & 5 nominations
An audacious, unsettling Japanese horror film from director Takashi Miike, Audition entertains as both a grisly shocker and a psychological drama
Audition is a movie that will make you want to sleep with the lights on for a week. It’s a twisted tale of love and obsession that will leave you feeling like you need a shower. But hey, if you’re into that kind of thing, then this movie is definitely for you. Just don’t watch it with your significant other unless you want things to get real awkward, real fast.
Production Company(ies)
Lama Films, United King Films, Rabinovich Film Fund, Cinema Project
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Tokyo, Japan
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for violence/torture and sexuality
Year of Release
2000
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS-Stereo Dolby SR
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):Japanese
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jan 1, 1999 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 6, 2009
Genre(s)
Horror
Keyword(s)
starring Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Jun Kunimura, Miyuki Matsuda, Ren Ôsugi, Tetsu Sawaki, directed by Takashi Miike, written by Daisuke Tengan, Ryu Murakami, horror, R rating, box office gross $110.8K, reviewed by Chuck Bowen, Peter Bradshaw, Jim Sullivan, Patrick Z McGavin, Kevin Thomas, Marc Savlov, Matt Brunson, Brian Eggert, Trace Thurman, A.S Hamrah, Federico Furzan, Panos Kotzathanasis, psychological drama, dating service, audition, producer, widower, relationship, tension, climax, violence, torture, sexuality, Japanese, Satoshi Fukushima, Akemi Suyama
Worldwide gross: $359,853
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $624,135
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,692
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 68,063
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Eihi Shiina – Asami Yamazaki
Jun Kunimura – Yasuhisa Yoshikawa
Miyuki Matsuda – Ryoko Aoyama
Ren Ôsugi – Shibata
Tetsu Sawaki – Shigehiko Aoyama
Director(s)
Takashi Miike
Writer(s)
Daisuke Tengan, Ryu Murakami
Producer(s)
Satoshi Fukushima, Akemi Suyama
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
4 wins & 5 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (80) | Top Critics (19) | Fresh (66) | Rotten (14)
The film is a brutal examination of social isolation and malaise, and the gulf that often exists between men and women.
July 1, 2019 | Rating: 4/4
Chuck Bowen
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
A stomach-turning masterpiece.
December 10, 2015 | Rating: 5/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
This movie, at just under two hours, is a long crawl from inception to climax.
November 30, 2001 | Rating: 2/4
Jim Sullivan
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
Miike is brilliant at transforming the mundane and familiar … into something sinister and eerie.
November 29, 2001
Patrick Z. McGavin
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
A diabolically adroit piece of filmmaking that goes even further than the films of Italy’s excruciatingly macabre Dario Argento.
November 16, 2001 | Rating: 4/5
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
It gnaws on your mind like a famished larva, and you can fully expect to have a rough time of it later, when you close your eyes and try to sleep.
November 11, 2001 | Rating: 4/5
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
It has lost none of its power to disturb.
May 16, 2022 | Rating: 3/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
Miike doesn’t seem too concerned about his message or themes. Instead, he uses obvious triggers to create frightening, horrific stories of extreme style and content.
March 4, 2022 | Rating: 3/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
It takes a while to get there, but Takashi Miike’s adaptation of Ryū Murakami’s novel builds to one of cinema’s most unforgettable endings.
December 30, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Trace Thurman
Horror Queers Podcast
A prolific director known for his willingness to try anything as long as it’s weird, violent, or evil, Takashi Miike outdid himself with Audition…
September 17, 2020
A.S. Hamrah
The Baffler
fans of cult cinema though will definitely appreciate its atmosphere and the grotesqueness of the last part, which is what gave the film the place it currently holds in the category.
July 26, 2020
Panos Kotzathanasis
easternKicks.com
A horrific tale about the mysteries of unseen boundaries. Whatever you do, don’t watch it with the person you love. It gets rather awkward. [Full review in Spanish].
December 9, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4
Federico Furzan
Cinelipsis…
Plot
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?
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny or odd comments were found in the Fresh Kernels review for Audition.
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