Shall We Dance?

Life seems to be going Shohei Sugiyama’s way, as he has it all: a good job, a lovely home, a devoted wife and a charming daughter. Yet he is not happy. One evening, whilst on the underground, he spots an enchanting woman looking out of the window of a dance studio and, on a whim, decides to take dance lessons from her. That woman is Mai Kishikawa, a well-known figure in the world of ballroom dancing. The dance lessons – although he isn’t actually taught by Mai – do indeed change his life. There is, however, a problem: no one must know about his dance lessons; not his wife, because of his feelings for Mai, but neither must his colleagues, because in Japan, Western-style ballroom dancing is looked down upon.

This multi-award-winning film, a blend of comedy, drama and romance, is based on the 1937 American musical of the same name starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. This remake is a tribute to ordinary people who have the courage to embrace change.