22/09/2026
With her head in the clouds, Haru (Rinko Kikuchi) is never quite fully present in her life. As an amateur ballroom competition dancer, she imagines her and her dance partner — and husband — Luis (Alejandro Edda) floating above the crowd, defying gravity and outshining their competitors. But when Luis dies unexpectedly, Haru must wake up and face reality… Although it’s not long until she returns to her imaginary world.
Josef Kubota Wladyka’s latest feature explores many things: dissociation and grief, the healing power of dance, coping with the unfortunate reality of life. But perhaps the most interesting aspect is the dance Wladyka choreographs between cultures.
In Ha-Chan, Shake Your B***y!, Tokyo isn’t just a homogeneous metropolis; rather, it’s a melting pot of identities and cultures, a reflection of our globalised world and blended society. Haru, a Japanese woman, is married to Luis, a Mexican man. She develops a crush on her Spanish dance instructor (Alberto Guerra), whose wife (Keren Louis) lives in Europe. Haru dances and loves with a Hispanic flair, embracing the passionate culture of the man she loves. Her multiculturalism allows her to reject Japanese suppression and embrace the rebellious lifestyle she dreams about.
Yet, this same multiculturalism is the source of Haru’s greatest pain. Following Luis’ death, his family insists on a traditional Mexican burial, rejecting Haru’s request to follow Japanese death rituals. Believing that Luis’ soul is now trapped and unable to move on to the afterlife, Haru is haunted by her deceased husband, unable to properly grieve his passing. While she achieved freedom and liberation through her relationship with Mexican culture, she can’t completely abandon her Japanese heritage.
Ha-Chan, Shake Your B***y! is a charming, whimsical feature with a loveably flawed protagonist. Kikuchi never goes too far with her portrayal of Haru’s delirious grief, finding the right balance between quirky chaos and disgruntled mourning. The supporting cast shines, with each character as vibrant as Haru herself. Plus, the surrealist moments and dreamy symbolism play perfectly off the flamboyant narrative.