The prolific Takashi Miike is a director who is hard to pigeonhole, but Audition is simply impossible to ignore. Ryo Ishibashi plays a widower who seeks out a new wife by holding an open audition for a non-existent film. Initially we’re led by the hand through a blossoming romance, as he falls for Asami (Eihi Shiina), but soon things turn as black as pitch. Takashi weaves a spellbinding mystery that slowly unravels into unbridled sexual horror that will have you wincing - seldom have such intensely horrific scenes been committed to film.