by Eurocheese
Rinko Kikuchi could become the first Japanese Best Actress Oscar nominee ever if HA-CHAN, SHAKE YOUR BOOTY! goes all the way.
Continuing our quest to find potential Best Actress contenders among TIFF screenings, we have already seen nomination potential in The Debut, Being Heumann and Onwards and Sideways. Next up, we have the Canadian premiere of Rinko Kikuchi’s performance in Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! after its Sundance competition slot earlier in the year, and the international premiere of Cynthia Erivo’s work in the film adaptation of Suzie Miller’s one-woman play, Prima Facie…
HA-CHAN, SHAKE YOUR BOOTY!, Josef Kubota Wladyka
After the sudden passing of her dance partner and husband, Haru (Kikuchi) lets her fantasies pull her out of grief. These include musical numbers that coalesce out of nowhere, a giant stuffed black bird that represents her husband hovering over her life as she moves forward, and countless winks at the camera. As a huge musical fan, I was excited for this film, but I have to say that even as someone who publishes with “cheese” as a part of my moniker, there was a little too much of it here. Chapters dividing the story are announced in a sing-song tone and vibrant images, giving everything a bit of a cartoonish feel. Over-the-top friendships and crazy antics play into this aesthetic, so it’s hard to blame the film for not taking any of its stakes seriously.
All that being said, Kikuchi’s face is the canvas that guides the audience through her tale, and she makes a meal of her reaction shots. Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! does have a charm to it, especially when a swoon-worthy Alberto Guerra shows up as Haru’s new dance instructor. In the face of this new attraction, she must decide if she’s ready to move on. The plot heads in the comedic direction one might expect, though it’s increasingly clear that Haru still needs to process her loss.
I’m being a bit dismissive of Kubota Wladyka’s tragicomedy because it didn’t entirely win me over. Still, I have to say the large-scale musical sequences did bring a smile to my face, even if they were a bit predictable. In a film festival full of heavy emotional topics, this serves as a well-executed palate cleanser. Is it high art that will stick with its audience for years to come? No, I wouldn’t say so. Is it an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours and a chance for Rinko Kikuchi to stretch her comedic muscles? Yes, but honestly, these skills have been used to greater effect elsewhere (I recommend checking out The Brothers Bloom if you haven’t seen it yet). If all you need is a flashy, dance-filled escape from reality, though, Ha-Chan, Sake Your Booty! may be just the ticket.
PRIMA FACIE, Susanna White
Cynthia Erivo plays Tessa, a talented young defense lawyer who knows the ins and outs of British law and has received recognition as an “up-and-comer” in her field. A colleague points out that she is often tapped for sexual assault cases, mentioning that having a woman represent men accused of this crime can be beneficial to their cause. Tessa is charmed by Julian (Daniel Ings), a lawyer with a privileged family history, and a date night between them ends with Tessa being sexually assaulted.
Before seeing this film, I had heard feedback that Tessa’s internal monologues are distracting, but they weren’t the issue I had with Prima Facie. Instead, it was the formulaic structure that kept the film from finding its footing. Every turn the story takes is easily predictable, except for moments when it tries to reach beyond the case and become an indictment of the current legal system. Obviously, this is a grim topic that impacts an infuriatingly large portion of the population, but when the story wants to get on its soapbox about how we should be addressing this problem, it isn’t adding much to the conversation that we haven’t heard before.
The central performance also has a hard time escaping conventions, though Erivo’s execution is not to blame. There have been watershed performances tackling these issues in past award races, but this is unlikely to stand out as a film we will be discussing for years to come. I wouldn’t be surprised if we eventually see a third Actress nomination for Erivo, though I doubt this is the vehicle that will get her there.
Best Actress Consensus: All of the ladies in this series have the potential to show up for the Golden Globes and will most likely be part of the conversation all season. If I had to guess, Laura Linney seems like a possible candidate for a BAFTA or SAG nomination, assuming Onwards and Sideways receives an official 2026 release date. The consensus at the festival seems to be that the Oscar will be Julianne Moore’s to lose, but we’ll see how the rest of the season plays out. (I’ll have more to say on my own personal picks in this category when Cláudio and I post our shared reflections and personal winners from what we’ve seen at the festival.)
Which other performances would you like to see discussed between our two TIFF correspondents as they start wrapping up this year’s coverage?