Message from asarnoff

[Anonymous]

I loved the Japanese version of Shall We Dance? too. It does a wonderful job showing the various relationships we can have with people and how those connections impact our life.

The movie makes so much more sense with the Japanese setting then with the American one. The fact that Japanese society frowns upon a man taking dance lessons is the necessary context for the fact that the main character has to keep it a secret. He goes against the norm and the result is an awakening in his own life that changes his entire outlook and perspective.

I teach a foreign film class to freshman and was going to use the film, but I thought the theme was a bit too sophisticated for 14 year-olds. After reading some of the posts I'm considering using "Spirited Away." I've never seen it and am wondering if that is a good choice to represent Asian film. Any suggestions?

The point of the class is to expose students to different countires and cultures through the medium of film (our Small Learning Community is called International Studies Academy). Any more thoughts on films I could use that are freshman appropriate?