Shall We Dance? (Japan, 1996)

Sugiyama is a successful salaryman, with a house in the suburbs, a devoted wife, Masako, and a teenage daughter. He works as an accountant for a firm in Tokyo. Despite these external signs of success, however, Sugiyama begins to feel as if his life has lost direction and meaning and falls into depression. One night, while coming home on the Tokyo Subway, he spots a beautiful woman with a melancholy expression looking out from a window in a dance studio. This is Mai, a well-known figure on the Western ballroom dance circuit. Sugiyama becomes infatuated with her and decides to take lessons in order to get to know her better.

Shall We Dance? is a charming and splendid drama that puts you in a happy mood. The movie became actor Koji Yakusho's (13 Assassins, Cure) major breakthrough, and that's great because he's one of my favorite Japanese actors. It gives an interesting insight to the conservative view the Japanese people have of relationships. It became such a big deal that it inspired a huge dance craze all over Japan, A delightful movie that will without a doubt lift you off your feet.

Genre: Drama/Comedy