Audition

Audition’s storyline is not only focusing on a romantic pursuit, it is a violent collision born from the transformation of the “other” into a mere object of fantasy. This aligns perfectly with the concept of “acknowledging otherness.” We define something’s characteristics based on what we want to see either as an “evil creature” or as a possible things to have.  In the film, both characters are essentially unable to accept each other’s differences. Instead, they fall in love with the perfect versions they have constructed in their own minds. The infamous piano wire scene is more than just a brutal or bloody visual; it is a physical manifestation of how selfish it is to try and mold another person according to one’s own desires. It was Aoyama’s own idealism and inherent selfishness that led him to his end. Ultimately, because both characters insisted on forcing the other into a shape dictated by their own rules, the result was a total catastrophe.  The act of idealizing the other inevitably shapes one’s own idealized persona, creating a feedback loop of false identities. This reciprocity transforms the relationship into a masquerade where two hollow masks interact instead of two authentic beings. When this fragile illusion shatters, it destroys not only the image of the partner but also the artificial self constructed to sustain the fantasy.