tokyo

director Josef Kubota Wladyka’s Ha-chan, Shake Your Booty!, the kawaii (super cute) and quirky story revolves around Haru (Rinko Kikuchi), whose husband, Luis (Alejandro Edda), quite literally expires while they’re dancing in a Tokyo ballroom competition. So yeah, the duality of sweet and bitter is present from the start. Another point of duality is the contrast between Luis’ life in Japan with Haru, and his upbringing in Mexico with his father and sister. Who gets to decide which life represented him best, his wife or his family by blood? Throughout this comedically surreal runtime, we’re treated to wild hallucinations, big dance numbers, sensual daydreams, and a desperate recklessness that Haru can’t help but be drawn into. Ha-Chan’s story is about the lies we tell ourselves when we can’t face the guilt or the devastation of surviving, and the fantastical—although artificial—pocket universes we create when we wish things had gone a different way.