Shall We Dance? (1996) [Film Review]

Shall we Dance?; or, How to find a hobby and overcome shyness

     Dance is more than the steps. Feel the music and dance for sheer joy.

Following New Year’s cheerful aura of hope and optimism, I wanted to check out something more light-hearted in tone this time and, quite unexpectedly, Shall We Dansu? popped out on TV. Not having seen it earlier, I gave the film a go and... it pleasantly surprised me.

Release Info

Directed by: Masayuki Suo Starring: Kōji Yakusho, Tamiyo Kusakari, Hideko Hara

Language: Japanese Original Title: Shall we ダンス? Runtime: 136 min

 

Synopsis

Shohei Sugiyama (Kōji Yakusho) is an ordinary accountant worker, an exemplary husband, and a loving father. He seems to have accomplished everything in life: a well-paid job, a family, and a house in the suburbs; yet, there seems to be something lacking. Sugiyama slowly falls into depression without even noticing. One night, when coming back from work on the subway, he notices a woman looking out from a window of dance school. Sugiyama becomes enchanted by her appearance and melancholic posture. He observes her attentively each night as the train stops under the school, until one day, he finally decides to go in and enlist himself for lessons. Initially, Sugiyama comes every week just to be a little bit closer to inaccessible Mai Kishikawa (Tamiyo Kusakari), a famous ballroom dancer, but, as time goes by, he discovers an immense pleasure in his new undertaking. He is determined to learn under watchful eye of his mentor (Reiko Kusamura) and classmates. Eventually, Suigiyama decides to take part in an amateur competition, but what about his wife, whom he has not told anything about?

 

Dansu, Dansu, Dansu

Shall We Dansu? comes off as a heart-warming story about motivation, confidence, friendship, and love. Director (and writer) Masayuki Suo did a great job by setting the theme of ballroom dancing (for stereotypicality of this phenomenon please refer to Strictly Ballroom (1996) and Shall we Dance remake (2004)) in a rigid Japanese context. The result? Lots of laughs. It’s hilarious to see the character of Shohei Sugiyama (magnificently played by the great Kōji Yakusho) as he struggles to master the basic steps of various dancing styles and to hide his hobby from his family as well. As a result, the act of dancing is elevated to the symbol of a forbidden fruit.

 

Apart from this, dance serves as the means to socially open up for Sugiyama as he befriends his fellow classmates. We see him interacting with people who he probably would have never approached in different circumstances. For instance, he hits it off quite easily with a fellow office worker, Aoki (Naoto Takenaka), who turns out to be a rumba-obsessed maniac. In addition, Hattori (Yu Tokui) is there because of his wife, whereas Masahiro (Hiromasa Taguchi) due to his doctor’s suggestion. Not forgetting about Toyoko (Eriko Watanabe), who has a rough demeanour, but is very kind at heart. To each of these individuals dance has a different meaning. It becomes a tool with which they change their lives.

 

Of course, when discussing a film about dancing, its music can’t be overlooked. The original score composed by Yoshikazu Suo is a real treat and a definite highlight of the picture. Apart from this, such songs as (obviously) Shall We Dance from The King I musical and Save the Last Dance for Me perfectly fit the film’s tone and complement it (especially during “training montages”).

 

Naturally, the movie has a great cast. Kōji Yakusho shines on the screen and makes the character of Sugiyama believable. Other actors don’t lag behind, especially Naoto Takenaka, Eriko Watanabe, and Tamiyo Kusakari. Hideko Hara deserves an honourable mention as Sugiayama’s wife. Even Akira Emoto (known for Dr. Akagi) has a small supporting role.

 

A word of caution. Be careful which version of the film you are watching, because there are two. The original Japanese cut (136 minutes) and the Miramax cut for the American release (114 minutes). Allegedly, Miramax decided to shorten the film just to squeeze in some extra featurette on the vhs. (Like... really?) From the stuff that got cut out, there was more background of Mai’s character, extended flashbacks from Blackpool, and more of Toyoko’s personal story.

 

Recommendations

Thankfully, the film is not a standard romance flick. Even though the affection to Mai was Sugiyama’s primary drive to sign up to dancing classes, the adultery never came to fruition. Instead, the hero found a new thing in life, which changed him profoundly. Highly recommended to anyone who is not all too crazy about romantic flicks, but wants to experience something simply joyful and heart-warming. Shall We Dansu? will definitely uplift your mood and leave you in good spirits.

Overall score: 9/10