What makes Miike's masterpiece (based on the Ryu Murakami novel) so incendiary is how the director tricks the audience into thinking they're watching one thing, when in reality they're in for something entirely different. Of course this subterfuge is best experienced if you have little to no idea what you're in for when watching the movie, something that might still be possible to experience today. Whether you're forewarned or totally in the dark, Miike constructs a scenario that lulls you into dreamy complacency with a gentle and seemingly trustworthy hand. At some point, that hand suddenly jerks you off the path and into the abyss.

Ostensibly, viewers enter Audition looking for a wistful romance of sorts: Shigeharu Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi) has been widowed many years, he lives a lonely professional life with his one son. That son begins dating, prompting Aoyama into a scheme to find his new love. With the help of a movie producer, a series of auditions are conducted. The ladies think they're going for a juicy role, but Aoyama is really carefully looking for his 'perfect mate'.

After a humorous audition montage that puts most Hollywood stuff to shame, that mate is found, and things begin to go sideways, slowly and innocently at first. Ultimately we're left to wonder about the nature of human dating, and to question whether we're picking someone, or being picked.

Audition works on two or three levels, more than enough for your average movie to be successful, but since these levels can nominally be assigned as 'the basement', 'the 10th floor', and 'the penthouse', it's clear Miike has pulled off a singular trick. It's one not exactly present in his lengthy resume of shockers from Fudoh to Visitor Q. Rarely has he displayed the sensitivity and finesse evident here. Audition is a genre effort that takes itself extremely seriously and has the strength to back every claim up. From its slow-build, to its potent payoff scenes, to its oddly sanguine ending, not only are there no missteps, there's some seriously fancy footwork.

Miike and Ishibashi establish morose resignation with ease. Aoyama's wife dies in truly tragic fashion, and he carries on manfully; dogged, stern, but loving. Yet the cold grey interiors of his life - witness his truly pathetic bedroom - display profound isolation. He's a decent father, and when the time comes we're rooting for him to find true love. The slickness with which Miike presents his tricky Love Connection audition can't help but make us laugh. And even as his romance enters the uncanny territory, (his choice girlfriend Asami, played to amazing effect by Eihi Shiina, is clearly off, but not too much to create real worry) we still hope for Aoyama to crack his lady's icy exterior.

When it's finally time to get down to business, camera work that has been static, polite and cold, becomes edgy, unsteady and duplicitous. A key scene between Aoyama and his producer buddy deftly shifts sightlines to create real disorientation. Time shifts and reveries further throw us off guard, so we're no longer sure if what we're seeing is real, a dream, or a memory. And after it's all said and done - and oh, what a lot is said and done - Miike leaves us wistful still, as a character asks. "that's what life's all about, isn't it?"

Audition is a difficult film to watch. From benign beginnings it just goes deeper and deeper into life's wounds, until you're begging for it to stop. But withal, it's a truly cathartic experience, and one you won't forget, because Miike's sure hand guides you gently, then cuffs you about the ears, before sending you out to face the animals. It may be an indictment of the culture of obedience inculcated in Japanese women, or it may just be a different iteration of my dad's one sage bit of advice for me; 'take care of your feet'. It's most definitely cinema on the edge, and still as powerful today as when it debuted.

The DVD

Video:
A new 1.85:1 widescreen high-definition transfer from the inter-negative is quite a lovely thing. Miike's look for Audition is subdued, with muted colors and a vaguely soft look, all clearly intentional. Even with that softness and very subtle film grain, detail levels are fairly high, and the print is super clean. I noticed one instance of film damage, and black reel-change markers, but that's it. Few compression artifacts are evident, and as detail levels soften somewhat in the background, they do a decent job of maintaining their fidelity.

Sound:
A Japanese Dolby Digital 5.0 Audio Track mixed from original audio elements is similarly nice. The film is very quiet, with conspiratorial conversational tones and little in the way of soundtrack music. When multiple elements are present they never conflict with dialog, and when sounds do require some oomph - telephones ringing or rustling canvas, for instance - they stand out without distortion. Dynamic placement is realistic and evocative when needed, and audio range is fairly wide.

Extras:
In keeping with Japanese traits of restraint, this 2-disc edition (in a clear keepcase with flipper, and slipcover) contains a few quality extras. First is a very spoilery 6-page Liner Notes booklet by Miike analyst and author Tom Mes. Read it after viewing for more insight. Disc One contains a great, subtitled, moderated Commentary Track with Miike and screenwriter Daisuke Tengan. Everything from the source novel to differences between Hollywood and Japan is covered in this low-key but engrossing track, including loving jabs at Quentin Tarantino and Eli Roth. Miike and Shiina also contribute brief, amusing, and separate Introductions to the movie. Disc Two contains 74-minutes of new Interviews with cast members Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Renji Ishibashi and Ren Osugi, all of whom are thoughtful, politely candid and informatively restrained in their 15 to 20 minute interviews. Lastly, two Trailers for Audition are included. English Subtitles are also included. Extras from previous releases - and there are many - are not ported over.

Final Thoughts:
Audition still disturbs today as much as it did when released - this is not a movie that suffers from audience desensitization, benefiting from sure direction and universally uncomfortable themes. A stealthy romance-gone-wrong movie, Audition is best approached with little foreknowledge, but as Miike says in his introduction, you may regret watching it. With a new high-quality transfer and all-new but somewhat limited extras, (ignoring previous release extras entirely) this is a questionable double-dip. However, if you don't already own this, and feel the need, this is Highly Recommended.

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