1999, Japan, Dir: Takashi Miike
It was 1999 when Japanese enfant terrible Miike Takashi inflicted his master work Audition on an unsuspecting audience. It’s true that Miike was already well known as something of a maverick, but these characteristics were usually evident from the first reel of whatever movie of his was currently showing. Audition however is a stealth jet of a film. Those watching it un-warned must have thought the old provocateur had finally matured and was following a more well-worn cinematic path. True, a few unsettling scenes throughout this film sow seeds of dread, but nothing to prepare the viewer for the black flowers which bloom from them.