Sharu Wi Dansu? (aka Shall We Dance?) (1996)

An accountant (Koji Yakusho) has a wife (Hideko Hara) and daughter (Ayano Nakamura) and a house in the Tokyo suburbs. But something is missing from his life and he seems depressed. Every evening on his way home, he spots a melancholy woman (Tamiyo Kusakari) gazing from a window in a dance studio. On a whim, he enrolls in dance classes in an attempt to get to know her. Directed by Masayuki Suo, this is a lovely film. The movie isn't only about the accountant and his obsession with the dance instructor. The film has a diverse assortment of other characters who either teach or takes lessons at the studio. Dance opens them up, it frees them and removes them from the constraints and burdens of their private and work lives. And it does this simply without hitting us over the head with it. An adroit screenplay and well acted by the entire cast. It swept the Japanese Academy Awards and was popular enough in the U.S. to spawn a 2004 remake. With Naoto Takenaka, Eriko Watanabe and Yu Tokui.