When Takashi Miike unleashed AUDITION at the end of the last century, the audience was completely unprepared. Reports from the Rotterdam Film Festival described a procession of shocked viewers leaving the theater before the film was over (and they still missed the worst of it!). All of a sudden, a whole new genre was born, dubbed "torture porn" by a disgruntled critic, spawning extreme horror films like Saw, Hostel, and Miike's own Ichi the Killer. AUDITION often ranks high on the Best Horror Films lists in newspapers, and it has found fans among directors like Quentin Tarantino, Eli Roth, and Rob Zombie.
AUDITION is the story of widower Shigeharu. To help him find a new wife, his immoral friend, film producer Yasuhisa, arranges a fake audition. Among all the beautiful women, Shigeharu falls for the mysterious and quiet Asami, a former ballerina with an unclear past. Her way of submitting to Shigeharu captivates him. But it's all a facade. Soon, Asami will reveal her true self, and it's not a pretty sight...