#TIFF26: “HA-CHAN, SHAKE YOUR BOOTY!” REVIEW

By Mr. Will Wong

If you love quirky female-led character studies, HA-CHAN, SHAKE YOUR BOOTY! from Director Josef Kubota Wladyka, just might be your thing!

Haru (Rinko Kikuchi) and her husband Fedir (Alberto Guerra) are prominent in the Tokyo Ballroom scene, until tragedy occurs, leaving the former to question her direction in life. She meets handsome dance instructor Luis (Alejandro Edda) which re-ignites passion again in her life, but at once she still is grieving her beloved late husband.

HA-CHAN, SHAKE YOUR BOOTY is bright and joyous, with Kikuchi delivering a singular performance in a role that feels crafted uniquely for her. It is an exploration of loss through Comedy and fantasy that engages its audience in a fun manner, which has us really rooting for our trying, but cool heroine.

This screens at TIFF ’26:

Tuesday, September 15

Royal Alexandra Theatre

Closed captions (CC),Audio description (AD)

8:30 pm

Wednesday, September 16

Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Closed captions (CC),Audio description (AD)

12:00 pm