Shall we dansu?
But then again, in comparison to some other (more modern) dances, I find ballroom dancing strangely boring, despite my parents’ passionate love for it. Luckily, the film itself is not about ballroom dancing, although we are treated to some great eyecandy involving engaging dance scenes. Of course I absolutely enjoyed them.
After “1Q84”, which I liked, I ended up reading two books which I largely disliked. Interestingly enough, that almost completely killed my desire to read any other books. Similarly, most current anime are absolutely boring or they just don’t come out often enough. Loris calls the comfortable speed at which we watch series momentum and sometimes momentum can be lost on the greatest show, causing you to lose interest in it. For some reason, I strangely lost interest in watching films, and I notice that this rarely happens to me unless I get busy. Well, in some sense I was quite busy the last few months, but that really doesn’t explain this change of interests.
In any case, I am back. Amidst the huge list of Netflix films in queue, I randomly picked this film because Pixelmatsch has already seen it and I know now for sure that the people who didn’t want to watch it will regret it. Ho ho ho. It’s a lovely film, perfect for a relaxed evening. As I mentioned before, the film is not actually about ballroom dancing at all, it really is just about a man being bored with life to the point of depression – and then discovering a hobby he truly feels passionate about. The film takes a very human, simple problem (which most of us probably encounter), a bunch of lovable characters and a mundane society conflict – and turns it into a warmhearted, fuzzy film. Perhaps the movie is not perfectly realistic because every single character in it is lovable and means well, and perhaps it is too dream-like for anyone to discover a hobby and rediscover your own life through it. But who cares? What are movies for? Yes, entertainment. “Shall we dance” is entertainment at its best, it’s the embodiment of lovely and if you really want to think about it that way, the film is also a commentary on conservative Japan.
I would also like to mention that there are two other good reasons to watch the film, Koji Yakusho and Naoto Takenata. Koji Yakusho obviously needs no introduction and he was just as brilliant as always in this movie. As for Naoto Takenata, he is Stresemann/Milchi! To understand and appreciate his role, one must know that Takenata always plays over-the-top silly figures, and that the exaggerated speech and movements are his specialty. I am a big fan ever since Nodame Cantabile, and I couldn’t believe how lucky I am to see him so unexpectedly. It is a gift from heaven that Takenata’s role ended up being quite elaborate in this film, and as a duo, he and Koji Yakusho make the best friends possible.
There is one aspect which is unfortunately never really touched upon in greater detail. Two characters (one of which Takenata’s) were told by women that they were “disgusting” or “creepy”, which both of them didn’t really deserve and at the end of the story, it gets resolved without much of a conflict because they both found women who liked them. Sure, they were “just” side characters, but it would have been nice to see how they were able to find these people who accepted them. In the case of Aoki and the fat lady, it is being hinted at how they have good chemistry, but that is all.
As you can see, I am absolutely in love with this film. It was much more heart-warming and funny than I anticipated, and featured some of my favorite actors. What can I say, I would totally watch it again, but don’t expect it to be a revelation to you. It’s ultimately just a simple, unpretentious film.