Eihi Shiina

In Audition (2000), Eihi Shiina's Asami Yamazaki is difficult to read even when the film appears to be offering a romance. Shiina sustains that uncertainty without making each moment feel like a clue left for later inspection. We were unnerved by how hard she was to read while the film was still asking us to consider its romantic possibilities. She gives us enough to keep trying, without making the effort feel pointless.

Takashi Miike helps by allowing her time, while Ryo Ishibashi gives Shigeharu Aoyama the human credibility the apparent romance needs. Hideo Yamamoto's cinematography makes the images attractive without making them reassuring; we keep looking rather than relaxing. Tatsuo Ozeki's production design leaves the surroundings quiet enough for our attention to return to the actors. Shiina benefits from that restraint around her as much as from her own. The film understands that a performer can sustain our interest without constantly explaining a character.

Her film debut in Open House (1998) and work with Shinji Aoyama in Eureka (2000) belong to a career broader than the horror reputation suggests. Later came repeated collaborations with Yoshihiro Nishimura, including the lead role of Ruka in Tokyo Gore Police (2008) and Rikka in Helldriver (2010). The part in Tokyo Gore Police draws on her ability to handle physically demanding scenes. We would not mistake the quietness of Audition for the limit of her abilities.

That does not make the material beyond criticism. Audition is less assured in its treatment of women than in its control of tension, and Shiina's skill cannot resolve that problem. Its distressing violence is another reason for caution, though reducing her contribution to the film's extremity misses what makes the patient beginning work. We value the time spent trying to understand Asami, when Shiina keeps us interested without letting us become comfortable. Start with Audition if that uncertainty appeals, but take the warning about the violence seriously.