Shiva Baby is a film I had heard some incredible things about since last year’s film festivals, but one that I wasn’t looking forward to until earlier this week when the red band trailer dropped and it caught my interest.
I have to say I loved this film. It exceeded all and any expectations I had for it.
While at a Jewish funeral service and “sitting shiva” with her parents, Danielle, a directionless young bisexual college student, has an awkward encounter with her ex-girlfriend and her current sugar daddy, who attends the service with his wife. As the day unfolds, Danielle struggles to keep up with the different versions of herself, all while fending off family pressure and confronting her insecurities.
The film has been described as Uncut Gems for hot Jewish sluts, and you get that vibe as soon as you watch the film. Shiva Baby was a real nail-biter with a surprising level of tension that you wouldn’t expect from a film like this. The film was written and directed by Emma Seligman based on her short film, and she delivered a stunning directorial debut. While the film is a drama mixed with some comedic moments, Seligman makes the film come off like a thriller, the way she expertly builds tension. The film takes place almost entirely in one location, and she uses it very well. Her direction does a good job putting us in Danielle’s shoes and giving it a claustrophobic feeling as she’s constantly attacked at every corner, with awkward situations from everybody there, and nowhere else to go.
She focuses a lot on Danielle’s face, and the film’s eerie and creepy score does an excellent job at conveying those tense feelings while also giving the film a thriller/horror vibe at times. This film is inherently Jewish, and it doesn’t hide it, and while I’m not, Seligman manages to make the movie very relatable to all religions. As somebody who didn’t have it all figured out during college, I know the feeling and pressure Danielle felt. I also have to praise Seligman for how well she handled the bisexual aspect of the film. She did it with the subtlety of a seasoned vet. I’m very impressed by how well she balanced the film.
Rachel Sennott, as our lead, was excellent. This is the first thing I’ve seen her in, and I’m very impressed. She does a great job at displaying the amount of anxiety that she’s feeling. The script puts her in many awkward situations, and she does very well at switching gears from funny to being uncomfortable to getting back in control. Danielle is essentially a compulsive liar, and seeing how the lies pile up was fun to watch because it allowed Sennott a lot of room to have to deflect questions with great comedic timing and skills. She has excellent chemistry with Molly Gordon, who plays her ex-girlfriend.
I’ve seen Molly Gordon in a few things, such as Good Boys and Booksmart, but this might be the best performance I’ve seen from her. I liked their scenes together. You sense a feeling that she cares for Danielle and knows the real her, despite the front she may try putting on for others.
Polly Draper and Fred Melamed play Danielle’s parents, and they are terrific and funny. While they can be considered stereotypical Jewish parents, they play it to perfection nonetheless. I loved Polly’s character. She is both understanding and judgmental. I love how she displays the love she has for her daughter in so many ways and is constantly trying to pawn her off either for a lover or to try getting her a job/internship. She is the more caring parent as to where Fred’s dad’s character is more of a jokester, clumsy dad who wouldn’t be who he was without his wife. Their banter with each other and Danielle was great.
Danny Deferrari as Danielle’s sugar daddy did a solid job. It’s great to see his reactions as he is put in an unusual predicament having to be in the same room as his mistress while he’s with his wife and child. Dianna Agron, who I loved in Glee, plays his wife, and she is even better than him, more so because you tend to sense that her character knows what’s up. So we’re constantly following her character to see if she picks up on the clear signs right in front of her face.
I loved the ending. It was perfect and full of hope and optimism. The film runs for 72 minutes, and it’s packed with so much in such a short time. While I love the shorter run time, I wish it would have been 8-10 minutes longer, just for a few more scenes to be explored. I don’t feel that would have messed with the film’s pacing at all.
Shiva Baby is one of the best films of the year so far, and I feel very strongly that it will find an extensive fan base in the cinephile community.
