Love, grief, and dancing in Tokyo

Haru (Rinko Kikuchi) and her Mexican husband Luis (Alejandro Edda) love ballroom dancing. They live in Tokyo where they dance in competitions. Haru takes them very seriously. Luis takes a more relaxed approach. Everything seems to be going well for the couple until Luis suddenly dies. A stricken Haru mires herself in grief. Her dance partner is gone. She refuses to leave the house. Such is the setup for director Josef Kubota Wladyka's Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!, a showy blend of fantasy, romance, and dance, all more or less grounded by the emotional reality of Haru's grief. Wladyka's hybrid approach carries the movie, along with Kikuchi's performance, which relies on vivaciousness and pluck as Haru falls captive to her own fantasies. Something has to get Harus out of the house and away from her massive collection of LPs. With assistance from Haru's sister (Yoh Yoshida), a free-spirited cousin (YOU, a.ka. Yukiko Ehara) coaxes the grieving widow out of seclusion, pushing her to take a…