Ha-chan, Shake Your Booty! (A PopEntertainment.com Movie Review)
HA-CHAN, SHAKE YOUR BOOTY! (2026)
Starring Rinko Kikuchi, Alberto Guerra, Alejandro Edda, You, Yoh Yoshida, Damián Alcázar, Keren Louis, Charley Flyte, Soji Arai, Bob, Takaaki Fujisawa, Chelsea Gonzalez, Tom Harwood, Yuka Mannami, Hiroaki Matsuzawa, Derek Mio, Shohei Nagahama, Kojun Natsu, Cristina Rodlo, Show, Kosuke Tanaka, Eriko Yamaguchi, Akihiro Yamamoto and Andrew Zox.
Screenplay by Josef Kubota Wladyka and Nicholas Huynh.
Directed by Josef Kubota Wladyka.
Distributed by Sony Pictures Classics. 122 minutes. Rated R.
Life is a dance through grief, it seems.
There is much I can say about Nicholas Huynh and Josef Kubota Wladyka’s film Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty. I will start with the obvious, which is that Ha-Chan is a movie that pulls you in with a compelling plot about grief but keeps you with a creative shooting style.
As someone who has lived in Tokyo and traveled to other parts of Japan for study, I enjoyed the realistic shots of typical life in the city. Similarly, the beautifully woven pieces of Latin dance culture were a striking contrast that made seeing familiar sights light with song and dance extremely entertaining.
Where this film lost me was in its character execution, especially our title-character Haru “Ha-Chan” (played by Rinko Kikuchi). I have no gripes with performance; Kikuchi was a delight on screen and deserves her flowers for this performance. My concern rests with how Haru progressed towards the latter half of the movie.
While grief is known to drive people to outlandish actions, I still felt Haru’s Halloween night-into-Día de los Muertos bender was a bit out of left field. Her progression – from lying to her dance instructor about her husband, to pouring wine on his wife – appeared to me as a typical case of accidental-attachment-turned-jealousy.
In all bluntness, despite the odd arrangement, Fedir (played by Alberto Guerra) was honest about his open marriage, and kept clear boundaries when intimate with Haru. In her grief and self-rationalizing mind, she saw similarities of her husband in Fedir and imagined herself where she could “have her cake and eat it too” between her husband’s “spirit” and her new sexual partner.
Especially bothersome – and unlike the character – was her breaking into the apartment after offering Fedir’s wife, Mila (played by Keren Louis) a daruma as a peace-offering/good luck for her competition and getting rejected for it. Besides the humorous shot of the daruma – thrown onto the balcony – landing perfectly upright (as they always do), the whole sequence seemed only necessary to show the cruelty of Fedir and Mila as a couple.
Both characters were well played, and their performances gave me that intended pit in my stomach when Mila expressed excitement at the idea of her husband “taking advantage of a grieving widow.” At that point in the movie, Haru had lied to find her way into a sexual relationship with her crush, and yet I disagreed with this display that brought to mind the stereotype of the “Dragon-lady” that paints Asian women as irrational, jealous, scheming. The intrusion scene including her breaking a photo frame of the couple and cleaning the bottom of her shoes with the wife’s toothbrush, just felt like a slap in the face, to communicate this character trope to the audience which I personally disliked.
Without delving too much into theories about this film, I wanted to at least mention the crow. For those who have already seen the film, you might agree that the crow was a fascinating addition to the story. Both ridiculous and somehow meaningful, I found myself over-analyzing every scene it appeared in. Mascot costumes of that style are fairly common in Japan, but it seemed to house Haru’s deceased husband, Luis’ (played by Alejandro Edda) spirit. Whether this is actually his spirit or Haru’s personified grief is still up for debate.
Regardless, it captured the very real experience of odd nightmares or some coping mechanisms in which people commune with those no longer with us. I will mention a note of mine in favor of Luis’ spirit truly being there, supported by Haru’s dog. The crow first appeared after Luis’ body was turned over to his family, and at home while Haru was completely broken down, her dog reacted to the crow/spirit, as dogs (and other animals) are believed to be able to do. The fact that he barked, then sat perfectly in front of the costumed spirit was interpreted by me as the dog recognizing Luis. Penny for thought about this, however I lean towards Luis truly being there in spirit simply because he was seen by the dog and not just Haru.
In terms of supporting cast, Yoh Yoshida (Yuki) and You (Hiromi) were great company and brought plenty of laughs when needed. It was refreshing to see a realistic mixed bag of a friend group with robust personalities and unwavering support for each other. Furthermore, the rest of the cast played and danced beautifully.
As much as the dance numbers were unrealistic spectacles that would likely never be seen on the streets and ESPECIALLY on the train, it was fun to see into Haru’s mind and watch her fantasize the world around her when fate let her down and took her husband too soon.
I enjoyed this film for the most part and genuinely felt back home in Tokyo throughout it. There was no shortage of authenticity in the setting, and in most other character’s executions. I give special props to those who choreographed and those who performed dances – they were captivating. Admittedly, I have never been one to take dance seriously as a form of self-expression. Coming out of the theater, Ha-chan has changed my mind. Thank you for such a treat, I won’t soon forget it!
Jordan Wagner
Copyright ©2026 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: September 25, 2026.
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