When we watch a movie we know beforehand whether it’s horror, drama, science fiction, etc. The other day, though, I turned on my television and (by pure chance) saw a Japanese movie start. I was fascinated when I realized that I had no idea what genre this film was. At first it seemed like a slightly comic love story: an older man (Aoyama) gets back into the dating game on the advice of his teenage son. Not quite knowing how to go about it, a movie producer friend helps him arrange a fake movie audition so he can meet various women. There he eyes the lovely, very young, and somewhat “odd/off kilter” Asami, whom he falls madly in love with (I especially like his very Japanese comment to a friend, when he calls Asami “…beautiful, classy and obedient.”).

The mood of this movie was slow, in some ways surreal, and almost poetic. I greatly enjoyed the nuances of its simple situations and subtle character traits when, out of the blue, the film took a turn and forced me to reappraise what it was. Suddenly Asami vanished and I became positive that I was watching a ghost story -- quite a good one, in fact.

More drama unfolded, though now I was aware of how strange and twisted things were becoming. However, nothing could prepare me for THE scene -- something so shocking, so over the top (in a torture/trauma sort of way) that I almost turned off the set in absolute horror. I bravely repressed this impulse (though it was 3AM and I was completely freaked out), watching in shock as...well, I can’t tell you and ruin the surprise.

The next day I thought about my reaction. Was my panic partly due to the film not being genre specific? Perhaps. But I prefer to think it was the exquisite writing, the lovely camera work, the genius of director Takashi Miike (who reeled me in like a fish on a hook), and the tremendous job the actors did with their roles. Lead Ryo Ishibashi as Aoyama was wonderful, while Eihi Shiina’s (Asami) debut in this movie must be considered a tour de force -- her transformation from a lovely but passive girl to a homicidal maniac is something I’ve rarely seen equaled. I must admit that her work in THE scene actually blew me away.

AUDITION has been shown in film festivals around the world, and in every case large numbers of viewers walked out in horror when THE scene appeared and crushed their tender minds to pulp. While it’s true that Miike’s skill in turning the mundane into unbearable horror dwarfs what I’ve seen by legendary filmmakers like Hitchcock and Cronenberg, one must also be aware of his ability to create soothing, almost lyrical scenes that few others can match. It’s his talent to merge heaven and hell, man’s beauty and ugliness, art with agony that make him a man to watch. I certainly intend to see all his earlier films, and eagerly await any new movies with great anticipation.