When Rinko Kikuchi has a new film at Sundance, it’s always worth taking note. The Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter and We Are Little Zombies actress returned to Park City earlier this year with a real crowd-pleaser that had audiences buzzing. Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty, set in Tokyo’s ballroom dancing scene, won the Directing Award for Drama at the festival, and Sony Pictures Classics has dropped a fun teaser ahead of its release in September.
Directed and co-written by Joseph Kubota Wladyka (Catch the Fair One), Ha-Chan Shake Your Booty stars Kikuchi as a competitive ballroom dancer who retreats into isolation after the sudden, tragic death of her partner. But when her frisky friends coax her back onto the dance floor, she becomes infatuated with the charismatic, sexy new instructor who could be the one to get her past the grief.
I saw this movie a short time after the festival (hence, no review) and it’s a quirky charmer, perfect for Kikuchi, who has been a favorite of mine since her performances in Babel and Rian Johnson’s The Brothers Bloom. Kikuchi is joined in the cast by Alberto Guerra, Alejandro Edda, You, Yoh Yoshida, and Damián Alcazar.
SYNOPSIS: Haru and Luis love competing in Tokyo’s ballroom dance scene, but after tragedy strikes, Haru withdraws into isolation. When friends coax her back to the studio, she develops an infatuation with the new instructor. She must face what comes next as sparks fly.
Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty opens September 25th.
