Set in Tokyo, Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! tells the story of Haru (Rinko Kikuchi) – or Ha-Chan, as her friends call her – a devoted ballroom dancer who shares her love of competing with her husband, Luis (Alejandro Edda). However, after Luis passes away suddenly, Ha-Chan isolates herself from the world for almost a year, grieving the loss of her beloved.
However, after time goes by her sister Yuki (Yoh Yoshida) and cousin Hiromi (YOU) attempt to drag Haru from her solitary life and back onto the dancefloor. After bringing her to a new class, Haru becomes infatuated with her new instructor, Fedir (Alberto Guerra). Even so, Fedir’s lifestyle is new to Haru, causing her to confront the uncertainties within the only life that she’s ever known.
Directed by Josef Kubota Wladyka, Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! is a delightfully absurd and honest look at what it means to pick up the pieces after all has been stripped away. Despite the heaviness of its subject matter, the film never feels weighed down but sadness. Instead, there’s an infectious joy within this particular piece that keeps it moving at all times, sweeping the viewer off their feet with resounding joy.
For Ha-Chan, the loss of her husband has left her emotionally adrift. Her partner in life (and on the dance floor), Luis is shown to bring light into his wife’s world. So, after his passing, she finds herself feeling lost. However, although Shake Your Booty takes Ha-Chan’s emotional state extremely seriously, this is very much a film about the rediscovery of joy. Time-jumping nine months away from Luis’ death allows Wladyka to spend the bulk of his story on the climb towards new love rather than wallow in the depth of Ha-Chan’s valley of grief. In doing so, the film’s tone lightens almost instantly as she begins to open herself up to the possibility of love and new relationships.
Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! playing at TIFF ’26. For more information, click here.
