As the great Southern rap orator Mystikal would say, if you’ve never seen Audition, then y’all ain’t ready yet. I expect the audience who’ll catch this at the Belcourt will be made up of first-timers and the sick-fuck fans who just wanna see how the first-timers respond. Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike’s 1999 shocker (based on Ryu Murakami’s 1997 novel) has gotten a rep for being a love story that goes down one unexpected, messed-up road. (Former Scene contributor Mike D’Angelo said it best: “I don’t understand how this film happened.”) Things start off deceptively melodramatic at first: A widower (Ryo Ishibashi) gets back in the dating scene by holding fake movie auditions for a significant other, ultimately getting smitten with a reserved ex-ballerina (Eihi Shiina) — and that’s all you’re gonna get from me. Let’s just say things take one sharp-AF turn in the second half, turning this mildly problematic rom-dramedy into either an unsettling misogynist nightmare or the most batshit-insane, toxic-masculinity-skewering cautionary tale ever filmed. See for yourself which side you’re on — if you dare! Visit belcourt.org for showtimes.
Feb. 11 & 14 at the Belcourt
2102 Belcourt Ave.
