Containing scenes of surreal violence and excruciating torture that many will find difficult to watch, this controversial psychological horror from cult Japanese director Takashi Miike could be a warped dream fuelled by tormented memory or an agonising hallucination revolving around the fear of a new relationship. It begins like a typical romantic comedy: a lonely Tokyo widower (played by Ryo Ishibashi) is persuaded to start looking for a new wife. With a producer friend, he holds a fake audition so he can screen a group of beautiful women - ostensibly for the part of a heroine in a new movie. But when the widower picks out an ex-ballerina (Japanese model Eihi Shiina) and tentatively begins to woo her, events take a terrifying turn. Like David Cronenberg, Miike doesn't provide his audience with easy answers, emotional respite or a safe conclusion. Instead, using stunning imagery and a mounting sense of puzzled dread, he puts true horror back into the genre. If you can stomach it, this profoundly moving film will leave you dazed.

Seven years after the death of his wife, widower Shigeharu seeks advice on how to find a new wife from a colleague. Taking advantage of their position as a film company, they stage an audition. Interviewing a series of women, Shigeharu is enchanted by the quiet Asami. But soon things take a twisted turn as Asami isn’t what she seems to be.