Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! Movie Review

​“Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!” is a heartfelt, emotional, and strangely necessary film for you to see, preferably on the big screen.

The main character’s name is Haru; Ha-Chan is her nickname. She’s played by Rinko Kikuchi from “Tokyo Vice” and “Babel,” and after seeing her in this, I must look for more of her work. Here, I feel her passionate performance was demonstrative. Kikuchi’s Ha-Chan shared every stage of her grief; she wasn’t afraid to show it. And how this is done makes this movie a genuine must-see.

Ha-Chan just lost her husband, Luis (Alejandro Edda), with whom she shared a love of ballroom dancing. They honed their craft well enough to compete. During one of their competitions (they seem so into it that they were floating above the floor and the rest of the dancers), Luis drops to his death a moment later. After the initial shock, we are shown his family, who have come in from Mexico, and Haru herself, fighting over what to do with the body. There’s a cremation ritual explained to his family, who don’t trust that he would have wanted it for himself.

Several months later, Ha-Chan still keeps to herself and doesn’t leave the house. Her friends Hiromi-Chan, played by You, and Yuki, played by Yoh Yoshida, get her to dance class to meet the new dance instructor Fedir, played by Alberto Guerra. Everyone is crazy over him; his dance and his looks. Even Ha-Chan can’t help but notice how beautiful a person he is. Her friends tell her she looks good and that “Yellow Don’t Mellow.” She should get back out there to dance and shake her booty. Maybe with him?

To tell her story more fascinatingly is the use of dream sequences. She thinks about dancing with Fedir. There’s also the presence of a strange black bird. Real? Imagined? You decide. This bird is peculiar and makes the film even more bizarre and entertaining. I’ll fill you in on something the film has that you may not like. Some find them irritating. The story is told in chapters, which aren’t necessary. If you’re following along, you don’t need to be told what to focus on. It is what it is. They’re fine. I loved the dream sequences, too. They’re noteworthy, especially, as I’ve mentioned, when the bird is involved. The bird is meant to be Luis and helps the unusual story along nicely.

There are complex emotional layers to life that Ha-Chan needs to confront. What she has gone through, and how she’s handling it despite what her friends think she should, needs to bring her peace. The way this tale is told is very rare and diverse. Director Josef Kubota Wladyka will definitely leave an impression on every audience member who finds their way to this film. I hope that’s you. It’s beautifully shot, has a great soundtrack, and the dance sequences as well as the supporting characters are excellent.

Kikuchi should be nominated for an Academy Award for carrying an extremely artistic yet weird story to the finish line and keeping you engrossed the entire time. The writing is rather enjoyable. That said, the film is an engaging character sketch for anyone who loves artistic or deeply individualistic storytelling on screen.