Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! follows Haru, a talented ballroom dancer in Tokyo whose world collapses when her husband Luis, played by Alejandro Edda, dies suddenly. The film, released by Sony Pictures Classics, uses the language of dance to examine how grief can both paralyze and propel a person back into life.
Grief, fantasy and a new partner
After Luis’s death, Haru retreats into the silence of her apartment, abandoning the competitive ballroom scene that had defined her marriage. Nine months pass before a friend convinces her to attend a class, where she meets Fedir (Alberto Guerra), a charismatic instructor whose reputation includes a stint on “Dancing With the Stars.” Fedir’s striking presence—described by critics as “handsome as a stallion”—offers Haru a dangerous but tempting chance to feel again. Their chemistry quickly turns physical, yet Fedir’s marriage to a Paris-based champion is openly non-monogamous, adding a layer of complexity to their budding affair.
Haru’s internal landscape is rendered through surreal moments: Luis repeatedly appears as a large black bird with glossy eyes, enveloping her in feathered arms. This recurring apparition works as a visual metaphor for the lingering hold of loss, while also providing a whimsical counterpoint to the film’s more grounded scenes.
Dance as storytelling
The choreography oscillates between street-level improvisation and glossy competition numbers. One standout sequence transforms a street altercation with drunken businessmen into a meticulously staged bachata battle, where Fedir defends Haru’s dignity with a fluid, almost cinematic flourish. The scene functions as an embodiment of re-engagement with life using movement to replace dialogue.
Throughout the film, the filmmakers sprinkle homages to classic Hollywood musicals. The opening competition piece, set to “Nosotros” by Eydie Gormé & Los Panchos, features Haru and Luis literally levitating—an echo of Fred Astaire’s gravity-defying moments. Director Josef Kubota Wladyka cites influences ranging from Punch Drunk Love to All That Jazz and even his mother’s favorite, A Man and a Woman (1966). These references inform the film’s visual palette, which blends the bustling streets of Tokyo with flash-filled dreamscapes.
Music plays a pivotal role beyond the dance floor. The soundtrack includes a City-Pop classic, “Stay With Me” by Miki Matsubara, chosen for its lyrical echo of a stranger knocking on Haru’s door—a metaphor for Fedir’s entrance. The director also weaves in a Cranberries track for the ending, aligning the bittersweet tone of Dolores O’Riordan’s voice with Haru’s final step forward.
Behind the scenes: homage and collaboration
Wladyka explains that the narrative is less a biopic and more an tribute to his mother an 82-year-old ballroom champion who used dance to survive single parenthood. While the script was originally written for an older protagonist, the director reshaped it for Kikuchi after recognizing her ability to embody both humor and melancholy. Kikuchi, best known for roles in Babel and Pacific Rim was drawn to the script’s blend of fantasy—a mischievous crow, surreal bird apparitions—and the challenge of portraying a woman rebuilding herself from fragmented memories.
The partnership between Wladyka and Kikuchi began on the set of Tokyo Vice where the director first experienced her “instrument” as an actor. Their renewed collaboration feels instinctive; according to Wladyka, the first day of shooting Haru’s quiet walk through a Tokyo lane immediately highlighted her “command of subtle physical storytelling.” Both parties agreed that the story, though fictional, needed to honor the real-life resilience that Wladyka’s mother demonstrated.
Production notes reveal that the film’s fantasy sequences required extensive choreography and visual effects work, especially the bird-like apparition of Luis. The team employed practical lighting and CGI overlays to keep the effect grounded in the film’s otherwise realistic aesthetic. The choice to film on location in Tokyo’s neighbourhoods—rather than on a studio lot—adds authenticity to the scenes where ordinary urban settings become stages for spontaneous dance.
At its core, Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! is a study of how art can serve as both refuge and catalyst. Haru learns that dancing without Luis does not betray his memory; instead, each step becomes a conversation with the past, allowing her to integrate grief into a new, evolving identity. By the final scene, she stands before her LP-filled wall—a hearth that once symbolized shared joy—and finally plays a fresh record, stepping onto the floor with renewed confidence. The film suggests that moving forward is less about forgetting and more about re-learning how to listen to the music of one’s own heart.
