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Studio: Arrow Video
Release Date: 6/16/2026
Rating: R
Film Grade: B-
The Story: It’s been seven years since Shigeharu lost his wife to illness. Since then, he’s spent his time working while raising his child, but it’s been a lonely existence. With a little prompting from his son, Shigeharu decides it’s time to find a new wife. While sharing drinks at a bar, his producer friend proposes an outlandish solution; they could hold a fake audition. Being in the film industry, they could just dust off an old script as part of the ploy to find the perfect mate without having to go through an arranged marriage or awkward dating rituals. The plan is hatched and as Shigeharu sorts through the hundreds of submissions, there’s something about Asami that captures his attention.
My Take: Audition is adapted from the novel of the same name and was the first movie by Takashi Miike (Ichi the Killer, 13 Assassins) that caught the eyes of international audiences. Classified as horror, I’d consider it more of a thriller. The first half of the movie starts out as a very conventional romantic drama, offering few hints of what’s to come.
Shigeharu’s not entirely comfortable about the deceptive scheme that they’ve come up with. He also feels some remorse about remarrying, as we see when he turns his dead wife’s picture around as he begins looking through the mounds of actress’ applications. The meek and softspoken Asami is a stark contrast to the other girls. Her past hints at some trauma, with ballet as a form of comfort and escape, but she had to give it up due to an injury. Shigeharu’s initial interest in her was piqued with her essay, only increasing after seeing her in person. Asami finds him reassuring, and even after being told that the movie has been delayed, she expresses concern about how it would affect him, rather than herself. With that deception finally behind him, Shigeharu can focus his attention on her rather than worry about her discovering the scheme.
It’s after a few more dates that we start to learn that things are not as straightforward as they seem. Clues start to pop up slowly, and the movie turns into a bit of an unsettling mystery. It’s the morning after a hotel tryst when things start to get weird. Really weird, and I won’t go any further than that to avoid spoiling the surprises. Let’s just say that once we get to the third act, things become surreal, with an intermixing of visceral reality and hallucinatory visions that leave the viewer wondering what parts are imagined and which are real. Here, it starts to enter Lynchian territory.
There are some Asian horror films that assume the audience has a familiarity with that culture. This isn’t one of them. The themes are universal, from loneliness and love to the well understood Hollywood practice of the casting couch. Long before the Me-Too movement, this film tackled the idea of men preying on women’s ambitions. Even if Shigeharu’s interests aren’t explicitly sexual in nature (he is looking for a life partner after all) the audience can’t help but feel disturbed by the deceptive way he goes about it. This sets the stage for a range of conflicting feelings.
Visuals: The 4K disc shows heavy grain in most scenes, so film fans will be glad to see that it hasn’t been digitally scrubbed; preferring to stay faithful to the 16mm film source. The advantages of this new release are evident in the extras, where the clips display much more noise and fuzziness. Colors tend to be on the natural side, with good skin tones, shifting to a more dramatic palette when eventually called for.
Audio: The movie comes with three different mixes. The original stereo, an LCRS four channel mix, and DTS-HD MA 5.1 track. I selected the 5.1 version; the added environmental effects such as wind, rain, and ocean waves create more envelopment. Special mention goes to the sound effects that give the viewer an unsettling feel with the third act. Likewise, subs don’t get a lot of action but are used at the end to enhance the tension.
The musical score is minimal, instead choosing to let the dialog carry much of the weight. Light, lyrically haunting tones are used along with a female chorus to add some melancholy at times.
Special Features: As with so many of Arrow’s releases, there’s a literal treasure trove of supplemental material, including archival video segments and modern analysis and interpretations. Some of the essays include elements that are a stretch, but there’s plenty for fans to ruminate on. The commentary by Mes is delivered in a very soft tone, and delves into some of the details of the novel that were changed for the film along with the psychological elements.
- Introduction by director Takashi Miike
- Audio commentary by director Takashi Miike and screenwriter Daisuke Tengan
- Audio commentary by Miike biographer Tom Mes
- Callback, a brand new interview with actor Ryo Ishibashi
- Ties that Bind, an interview with director Takashi Miike
- Damaged Romance, an appreciation by Japanese cinema historian Tony Rayns
- Archive interviews with stars Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Renji Ishibashi and Ren Osugi
- Deeper Deeper Into Audition, an audio essay by author and critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
- Trailers
- Image gallery
- Collectors' booklet featuring new writing on the film by Anton Bitel, Jennie Kermode and Jamie Graham
- Reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork by Dark Inker - Sampson and original UK artwork by Graham Humphreys
Final Verdict: When I first saw this movie decades ago, it didn’t leave much of an impression other than the disturbing ending. But, what an ending! That last act stayed with me all of those years. Watching this new 4K release left me with a much stronger impression of the film. There are moments of subtly that were completely lost on me with the first viewing. Part of that was due to expecting it to be a straight up horror film, and while there are strong scenes that gave it that reputation, there’s also a lot of depth to the story. Some of it deals with unfortunate and disturbing undersides of life, others are more related to basic human needs and desires.
If you’re a fan of this movie, this release is worth checking out. The transfer won’t give you that modern, sharp as a tack, presentation, but it is faithful to its original elements. If you’re interested in seeing what Asian horror can offer, this is a good start, although it’s not for the timid. Despite its innocent love story beginnings, it offers images and situations that will stick with you well after viewing. The trailer gives away much of the story, so avoid it if you want to retain maximum impact.
Creepiest Line: “Kiri, kiri, kiri, kiri.”
https://youtu.be/2wr_om5LsuI
This review was written by a human without the use of AI.
My Review System:
JVC DLA-RS3100 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
Elite Screens Sable Frame B2 117” Width with Infinitely Variable Height
Monolith by Monoprice HTP-1 16 Channel Processor with Dirac Live
Monolith by Monoprice 7x200 Watts Amp
Monolith by Monoprice 3x200 Watts + 6x100 Watts Amp
JBL Studio 590 for Left, Center, Right, Wides, and Rears
JBL Studio 580 for Side Surrounds
JBL Studio SCS 8 for Tops
JTR Captivator 1400 Subwoofer X 4
Panasonic DP-UB420 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
NVIDIA Shield Android TV - 4K
Xbox One X
HTPC Running madVR (work in progress)
Remote: URC MX-780
Mini DSP 2X4 HD controlling all subwoofers
APC S15 Power Conditioner with Battery Backup