A subtle, slow-burning chiller; Audition is by turns touching, gently funny and rather melancholic, and comes on for half of its running time like some sort of Sleepless in Seattle as though directed by Ken Loach. However it slowly builds in layers of creepy unsettling atmosphere, before finally launching a full on assault in the last act that will leave you reeling.
The motivations and experiences of the main characters, all superbly played, seem to really have something to say about the traditions of Japanese male dominance and female submissiveness at odds with the modern world, and the dangerous psychology that can be nurtured by these restrictions and conformities. For me this raises this film not only above the level of other excellent recent Asian horror such as the much better known "The Ring", but easily knocks seven shades out of the current Hollywood trend for torture porn movies. Saw, Hostel and the like, which are just puerile adolescent gore-fantasy by comparison.
A deeply disturbing but profoundly moving experience. "kiri, kiri, kiri"!
Rating: 5/5
No comments:
Post a Comment