Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!

Haru (Rinko Kikuchi) and Luis (Alejandro Edda) are passionate competitors in the Tokyo ballroom dance scene. After a tragedy causes Haru to withdraw into isolation, her friends coax her back to the studio, where she develops an infatuation with a new instructor (Alberto Guerra). As sparks fly, Haru must navigate her grief and her newfound desire.^[4]

• Rinko Kikuchi as Haru
• Alberto Guerra as Fedir
• Alejandro Edda as Luis
• You as Hiromi
• Yoh Yoshida as Yuki
• Damián Alcázar as Jacobo
• Keren Louis as Mila
• Charley Flyte as Sasha

The film is directed by Josef Kubota Wladyka, who previously collaborated with lead actress Rinko Kikuchi on the Max series Tokyo Vice, where he directed episodes and she starred as Emi Maruyama.^[5] Wladyka also serves as a producer alongside Kimberly Parker Zox and Mao Nagakura.

The project highlights a unique cultural intersection, featuring a Japanese lead cast alongside prominent Latin American actors Alberto Guerra and Damián Alcázar.^[6] The film features dialogue shifts between Japanese, English, and Spanish.^[7]

Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2026, where it won the Directing Award Dramatic.^[8][9] A week later, Sony Pictures Classics acquired distribution rights to the film.^[10] The film is scheduled for a theatrical release in the United States on September 25, 2026.

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 94% of 33 critics' reviews are positive.^[11]

Critics broadly praised the film's visual style and its handling of grief. Taylor Gates of Collider called it "the dance party we need," highlighting the film's vibrant color palette and stylish energy.^[12] Blake Simons of The Film Stage wrote that the film "feels nothing short of revelatory."^[13] Caryn James of The Hollywood Reporter described it as "a surprisingly buoyant, unsentimental film about grief," noting the shifts between comedy, poignant emotion, and surrealism that echo the film's trilingual dialogue.^[14]

Several critics singled out Rinko Kikuchi's performance. Kate Erbland of IndieWire praised her "lovely performance," while Patrick Gibbs of Slug Magazine suggested Kikuchi could be "a dark horse Oscar contender."^[15][16] Katie Rife of The Wrap noted the personal dimension of the project, observing that "the director's heartfelt affection for his mom permeates the film."^[17]

Other reviewers focused on the film's musical set pieces. Glenn Garner of Deadline highlighted a train-set dance sequence using practical effects, and Johnny Oleksinski of the New York Post called it a "delirious gem" full of "joyous company numbers."^[18][19] Dillon Gonzales of Geek Vibes Nation and Rebecca Sharp of Filmotomy both pointed to the film's blending of magical realism with grounded emotional drama.^{[20] [21]}