A the urging of a friend, a middle-aged widower (Ryo Ishibashi) agrees to hold a faux film addition so that he might find a new wife to share his life with. He may have found the perfect woman in Asami (Eihi Shiina), or maybe not...
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A lot has been made of Takashi Miike's recent forays into samurai films. Nearly every review for both 13 Assassins and Hara-Kiri: Death Of A Samurai brought up how classically styled and restrained they were. How could the man who perpetrated Ichi The Killer and Gozu be capable of directing slow-moving tracking shots and subtle performances? To me this is really no big surprise. Look no further than the first half of Audition. If it weren't for the cover art and quotes on the box, I think it would take quite a while for most viewers to realize that something demented was afoot. The early parts of this film play out like an average family drama about a widower trying to re-enter the dating pool. In fact, the low-key opening only helps to make the final reveal all the more shocking and disturbing. Any hack can go for shocking. It takes a true master to know when to hold back. I'm glad that Hara-Kiri got to screen in competition at Cannes. After twenty years and ninety films, the snootier cineastes of the world are finally waking up to the greatness of Takashi Miike!
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