This is a Takashi Miike film, so you know it's chock full of weirdness and ugliness, and yet still beautiful in some ways. Now it's gone out of print in the US and another import version (Chinese or Japanese) is available in NTSC format, and it's fine if you don't mind somewhat literal subtitles, obviously written by someone that does not speak English as a first language, but that was relatively minor. On to the film: A widower is told by his young son that he's looking old, and a friend of his talks him into staging a fake audition for the purpose of meeting a suitable young bride. Aoyama can sure pick 'em, he is smitten with Asami before he ever sees her in person and seems to fall in love when he actually talks to her, and they go out a few times to dinner and such. There's something not quite right about Asami though, nobody seems to know anything about her and her stories don't check out. Does that stop Aoyama though? No, it doesn't. In further poking around into her background he finds some quite disturbing information that may or may not be connected with her. And poor little Asami just sits around in her room waiting for the phone to ring with a duffel bag with dubious contents sitting nearby. Oh my. This is sort of a journey into David Lynch territory, but generally his films aren't quite this grisly. I think the thing I like the most about Japanese films is the portrayal of young ladies that seem meek and mild and are monsters at heart, and this one is a fine example. Well worth your time to seek out and watch, 8 out of 10 stars.

• When the film was screened at the Rotterdam Film Festival 2000 it had a record number of walkouts. At the Swiss premiere someone passed out and needed emergency room attention.
• Takashi Miike wanted to end the film at the onset of the torture scene that the film is now famous for. However, one of the producers told him to "be a man and see it through to the end."
• The paralyzing drug Asami injects into Aoyama is fictional. Takashi Miike said they made it up because the film would have been difficult to finish without contriving such a drug.