After losing his wife, middle-aged widower Shigeharu Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi) considers remarriage and sets out in search of the perfect woman. At a friend’s suggestion, he holds an audition for his next wife. This, however, quickly becomes a nightmare. The enigmatic Asami Yamazaki (Eihi Shiina) and Aoyama develop feelings for each other, but Yamazaki has a twisted view of love. She is possessive of Aoyama to the point where she cannot even tolerate the presence of their pets. Yamazaki believes Aoyama has deceived her, so she infiltrates his homeone night and drugs him. Helpless and immobilised, Aoyama is subjected to Yamazaki's twisted manifestation of affection, setting the stage for a night of gruesome violence.

This film is adapted from Ryu Murakami's novel, Audition (1997), and incorporates the twisted aesthetics of Japanese director Takashi Miike. Upon its release, the film shocked the Western film industry and was controversial due to its extreme content. The film's violent and gory sequences, along with Eihi Shiina's gripping portrayal of a turbulent mix of love and malice, have made this chilling work a classic in Japanese horror cinema.

Takashi Miike (b. 1960, Japan), is a director, producer, playwright and actor. He studied at the Yokohama Broadcasting Technical School before joining the television industry and eventually transitioning into a career as a film director. His works are known for his distinctively violent and gory content, often categorised as cult films. His body of work includes a wide range of topics and genres. He received the Maverick Director Award at the Rome Film Festival in 2014. Some of his other notable works include Ichi the Killer (2001), Visitor Q (2001), and Gozu (2003), all considered cult movies.