Written and directed by Masayuki Suo, this original version of the later J-Lo and Richard Gere version, makes sense and that, in itself, should be praise enough for this fine film. Trapped within the social and cultural pressures present within Japanese society, married Mr. Sugiyama (Koji Sugiyama) struggles with his desire to enter a dance school after seeing one of its teachers, the beautiful Mai Kishikawa (Tamiyo Kusakari) in the dance studio's windows as he passes by each evening on the train. Initially embarrassed and ashamed of such a desire, Mr. Sugiyama hides his classes from his wife and work colleagues until the day of a dance competition when the consequences of hiding our feelings and actions comes back to bite him. Populated with four great side characters with unique stories of their own, Shall We Dansu beautifully shows us a the power of shame with Japan and its societal norms, and how, in the end, we're truly all the same.
My rating 8 out of 10.
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