RateItAll: The Opinion Network

Miike is a genius. A twisted genius pherhaps but a genius nonetheless. I suppose if you wanted to pigeonhole this movie into a specific genre then it would be a horror movie but Miike's movies don't really fit into genres like that. After all, the first half of the film is a sweet tale of a long-suffering widower, Aoyoma, his relationship with his son (they go fishing, talk about girls, the son jokes about his age) and his concurrent attempts to get remarried. To this end he stages an Audition with his friend in the film industry in an effort to find his ideal woman (it's filmed like a madcap American teen comedy, luring you into a false sense of security). He finally comes upon what appears to be the perfect girl, Yasuhisa Yoshikawa (credit where credit is due, she is really creepy from the first time you see her) who appears sweet, obedient and also talented in the arts just as Aoyama had hoped. However it is clear something is not quite normal about Yasuhisa and Aoyoma's friend pleads with him to stop seeing her, but the normally cool and clinical Aoyama continues to pursue. Somewhere in this movie (you're too confused to know quite where) the entire thing begins to mess with the viewers head and sinks into a nightmarish realm where nothing is certain and everything is filled with rich imagery and symbolism. Any film that can make you think, laugh, Aww at its cuteness and ultimately etch into your mind some of the most chilling imagery you will ever see deserves five stars on principle. I didn't think it was possible but this film makes the idea of dating a beatiful woman a scary thought.