Josef Kubota Wladyka's film "Ha-chan, Shake Your Booty!" centers on Haru (Rinko Kikuchi), a middle-aged Japanese woman whose life is upended by the sudden death of her husband, Luis (Alejandro Edda), from a heart attack during a ballroom dance competition. The film, which premiered at the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, delves into her journey of grief and rediscovery. Initially, Haru is unmoored, experiencing fantasy visions of Luis as a giant crow, reflecting her struggle to find closure after his remains are repatriated instead of cremated in Tokyo.
Nine months after Luis's death, Haru's friends, Hiromi (You) and Yuki (Yoh Yoshida), persuade her to return to Latin dance classes. There, she encounters Fedir (Alberto Guerra), a Cuban ballroom instructor, with whom she develops a complicated romantic attraction. This attraction, particularly Fedir's open marriage, introduces a "messier and hornier" dimension to the film, transforming it into an "extremely modern sex comedy" as Haru navigates her guilt and the complexities of new desire while still mourning.
The film, inspired by Wladyka's own ballroom-dancing mother, blends a gentle exploration of heartbreak with whimsical elements, including surreal sequences and occasional song-and-dance numbers. While some critics note an "impish tonal approach" that can detract from the emotional depth of grief, Rinko Kikuchi's performance as Haru is widely praised as a committed and enchanting portrayal of a woman finding joy again. The narrative, co-written by Wladyka and Nicholas Huynh, is seen as an homage to the idea of moving forward and continuing to "keep on dancing" despite life's tribulations.
"Ha-chan, Shake Your Booty!" explores themes of love, loss, infidelity, and the pursuit of joy, using ballroom dancing as a central metaphor for life's unpredictable rhythms. Despite some unevenness in tone, the film ultimately delivers an "enchanting portrait of joy" in its final scenes, with Haru embracing life's messiness and finding a way to dance through her grief.
