Audition has to be one of the best foreign films I have
seen. The sound of when Asami was sawing the foot off of Shigeharu with piano strings was the most
disgusting and gut wrenching noise ever, but I loved it! I could feel the pain
of Shigeharu just through the sound effects. I was eating when I was watching
that part and I was almost on the verge of gagging. I don’t get freaked out by
horror movies because I watch so many but this one definitely made me feel
sick.
The story line was different. I liked that is was very psychological.
My interpretation of this movie was that it was showing his insecurities and
his feelings. His wife passed away. She was the one for him, the one woman who
fit his puzzle piece and the one he could always count on being by his side.
Asami was the figment of his imagination. Asami symbolized the pain and hurt
that took his wife away. When he craved to see Asami, it was showing the desire
of wanting to see his wife again. That pain of wanting someone so bad it hurts.
When Asami would kill others it symbolized how the pain affected other parts of
his life. When she attacked him it was showing how the pain was torturing him.
When it showed the man in the wheel chair burning her and
torturing her it was symbolizing how this man tried defeating the pain. It
tends to keep coming back but he keeps pushing it away. My interpretation is
probably so wrong but that’s how I read the message.
This movie is very powerful with its message and could mean
so many different things. I never liked foreign films but because of this class
I am really starting to love them. The different messages that different cultures
express through different ways is truly amazing. I always heard of Japanese
Horror being extremely creepy, scary and out of this world but I never really
got the chance to check any of it out so I am glad I got the chance!
I like how you interpreted that movie since I never saw it that way, I was just focusing on how he was so desperate for love he turned a blind eye to her faults and she was damaged by the pain she experienced as a child. To me it was more of a tragic love story rather than a psychological experience.
ReplyDeleteI really like the way you mentioned the first/dead wife in this movie. Now that I think about it the movie showed us the main man's view on his wife and woman but Asami was the only woman in the entire movie that got her point of view seen, it was twisted but we saw her opinion. There is a lot of use of perception in this movie like how you mentioned the main character projecting his pain and insecurities on other woman.
ReplyDeleteI'm also really glad that you enjoyed it as much as I did. I'm a fan of Miike and he does talk constantly about how he tries to reinvent film and constantly challenge hollywood. If you really like movies in this vein I would check out the Korean action movie, Lady Vengeance by Chan-Wook Park. It has a great story and some fun gore.