Message from kgbuchanan

[Anonymous]

"Shall We Dance?" directed by Masayuki Suo is the type of movie that high school students would respond to. Also it is rated PG-13, so teachers wouldn't have to hunt students down for the permission slip.

Whenever I dim the lights to show a movie, I get the following questions:
1. Is it in color?
2. Is it boring?

This movie would work well in a literature class if Asian literature was being studied. This film illustrates the role shame and saving face plays in Japanese society. To briefly summarize, Shohei Sugiyama is a successful accountant who has accomplished buying a house and has a wife and child. His life should be full and happy, but he is lost. He takes the subway train to his job and is enchanted by a woman looking out the window of a dance studio. He gets up the courage to get off the train and decides to take a dance class. He does it at first to get close to Mai Kishikawa, who is reluctantly teaching after her father's dance school. She entered an international dance contest and fell down. She is lost, and rejects his invitation to dinner. As the movie progresses, Shohei’s wife thinks he is having an affair. She even hires a dectective to find out what he is doing. Meanwhile, after being rejected by Mai, Shohei has discovered dancing gives him a sense of self worth. It makes him happy. His wife finds out and he is so ashamed that he gives up dancing. You've got to see it. So, I won't spoil the ending.

I think that this film would keep the attention of my students and they wouldn't mind reading the subtitles. There is enough comedy to keep them interested. This is an extremely important when showing foreign films in the classroom

I am thinking of using this film in a unit I am developing for my seniors. The theme that I am working on is: Personal Identity vs. Family Tradition. This film would provide a great introduction to this theme. I would have my students focus on the character of Shohei.

See the movie. (a)