Shall We Dance? (1995, Japan)

I have a hard time thinking of another film that’s as guileless and charming as Shall We Dance? Taking time off from some of his more intense work in the films of Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Shohei Imamura, Koji Yakusho plays a serious-minded salaryman who becomes entranced by ballroom dancing, a pastime he must hide from his family and co-workers, as dancing is seen as inappropriately intimate in Japanese society. Yakusho’s excellent performance is supported by a strong cast, in particular the bizarre Naoto Takenake as a Rumba-obsessed co-worker and Reiko Kusamura as their sweet middle-aged dance instructor. This was my second viewing of Dance, and it didn’t lose any of its appeal on repeat. Its pleasures are largely conventional, but they are so sincerely executed and professionally rendered that Dance reminded me why I go to the movies.