Ha‑Chan, Shake Your Booty! Review: Feel‑Good Film Tackles Grief

A Personal Loss Inspires a Cinematic Connection

The reviewer opens with a vivid personal anecdote that sets the thematic stage for “Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!” Recalling a grandmother’s funeral years prior, the writer describes arriving in a pencil skirt printed with white octopus tentacles—defiantly not black—only to be met by a cousin in formal mourning wear. The cousin’s tight-lipped smile gave way to a perfectly timed impression: “Gram would have said, ‘Well, that sure is something.” The shared laughter that followed, mingled with tears, crystallized a truth the film would later echo: grief is rarely solemn; it is weird, funny, and deeply human all at once.

Dance, Death, and the Ghost in a Crow Costume

Co-written by Nicholas Huynh and Josef Kubota Wladyka, and directed by Wladyka, the film centers on Haru (Rinko Kikuchi), a Japanese woman whose joy is rooted in amateur Latin dance competitions with her adoring Mexican husband, Luis (Alejandro Edda), in Tokyo. Wladyka visualizes their connection through magical realism: the couple floats gracefully above the dance floor, ascending as if they could cha-cha-cha into heaven. The spell breaks when Luis suffers a fatal heart attack, his hand slipping from Haru’s grip as he falls. The inciting incident leaves Haru adrift, unable to dance or live fully without him—until her sensible sister Yuki (Yoh Yoshida) and chaotic cousin Hiromi (YOU) arrive to lovingly bully “Ha-Chan” back into motion.

Fantasy as a Coping Mechanism

Hiromi delivers the titular command, dragging Haru to a class taught by the beguiling instructor Fedir (Alberto Guerra). What follows is a cascade of romantic fantasies: Haru envisions Fedir sweeping her into sexy spins, and later, upon hearing a rumor that he is in an open marriage, she invents a matching arrangement for herself rather than confessing her widowhood. The film externalizes her internal negotiation with the past by literally resurrecting Luis—first in a kawaii crow costume bopping around their apartment, then in a whiskey-fueled fantasy where he and Fedir bond over Luis’s record collection, gazing at Haru with mutual appreciation instead of jealousy. A subsequent MLM kiss between the two men becomes, in the reviewer’s words, “a kinky delight” that “gently illustrates that Haru is not looking to replace her husband, but is seeking to understand how to move on.”

Performances That Balance the Absurd and the Aching

As Haru’s decisions spiral “from bad to bonkers,” the filmmakers’ delicate characterization and Kikuchi’s compelling performance—carrying “an ingenue’s sweetness with a hint of mature heartache”—prevent judgment, inviting the audience to recognize their own bizarre mourning behaviors. YOU injects moxie and physical comedy as Hiromi, a terrific foil to Kikuchi, while Guerra ably shifts from romantic ideal to the messier reality of Fedir. A detour through a Japanese stage production of “Dirty Dancing” adds delightful levity, and a jealousy-fueled home invasion sequence resolves in “perhaps the most comical conclusions imaginable.” The ensemble tangles into a “charming choreography, both literal and metaphorical,” producing a true crowd-pleaser that refuses to settle into pure comedy or drama.

Why This Matters

“Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!” arrives at a cultural moment increasingly receptive to genre-hybrid storytelling that treats grief not as a linear process but as a chaotic, often humorous collision of pain and joy. By centering a middle-aged Japanese woman’s sexuality and agency—rare in mainstream cinema—the film expands representation while using magical realism and dance as expressive languages for the inexpressible. Its TIFF 2026 platform signals industry confidence in a cross-cultural narrative (Japanese, Mexican, and international creative voices) that resonates universally. The September 25 theatrical release positions it as a counter-programming alternative to fall franchise fare, targeting audiences hungry for original, emotionally intelligent cinema that makes them, as the reviewer predicts, “laugh. You’ll cringe. You’ll cry.”

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where can I watch “Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!”?

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2026 and opens in theaters on September 25.

Who are the key creatives behind the film?

The film is directed by Josef Kubota Wladyka and co-written by Wladyka and Nicholas Huynh. It stars Rinko Kikuchi, Alejandro Edda, Yoh Yoshida, YOU, and Alberto Guerra.

What makes this film different from other grief dramas?

It refuses a single genre label, blending magical realism, dance, spicy fantasy sequences, and broad comedy to portray mourning as a messy, non-linear, and occasionally hilarious experience—anchored by a rare lead performance from a middle-aged Japanese woman navigating desire and agency after loss.