Shiva Baby (2020) Movie Review
The delicious anxiety that defines the watching experience of Emma Seligman’s debut feature Shiva Baby begins with the very first scene – a phone call from Mom during sex – and doesn’t stop until the credits roll. The film takes place over the course of one day, and, save for the opening scene, is set entirely at a shiva. We follow Danielle (Rachel Sennott) – college student and sugar baby – who tries and (occasionally) fails to tactfully navigate familial and romantic entanglements that become so awkward that the movie playfully edges towards the verge of social horror.
The film was originally an 8 minute short featuring the same actress and premise: a young woman runs into her sugar daddy at a shiva. Seligman details the evolution from short to feature in an interview with Ella Kemp: “Because I came from a short film, the question when expanding into a feature was, ‘How are we going to keep everyone interested in this day?’” Tasked with extending a nightmarishly cringy event from 8 to 77 minutes, Seligman adds an additional stress-inducing factor that wasn’t present in the short: Surprise! Danielle’s ex-girlfriend is in attendance.
“Initially, I was just like, it’s got to be tense, but by the end, I was like, well, it does feel like a nightmare to a young woman sometimes.” Seligman absolutely succeeds at keeping this day interesting for the entire duration of the runtime. Imagine trying to deal with an ex and a sugar daddy (who you just found out was married and a father) all while having to answer incessant questions about your major and career and weight from relatives you haven’t seen in years! All of these elements, combined with music that sounds like it’s straight out of a horror movie turns Shiva Baby into an atrocity exhibition that’s impossible to look away from (not surprisingly, Seligman cites Opening Night as an influence.)
All of this is not to imply that the experience of watching this film is unpleasant; it is rife with comedy, if you’ve got the stomach for it. Seligman describes the Jewish sense of humor as “generally uncomfortable and cringeworthy,” which, to some people, is less “funny” and more “I have to leave the room right now.” Personally, I found the comedic timing to be spot-on, perfectly blending unbearable second-hand embarrassment with moments of hilarious comic relief (which never lasts long). This edge-of-your-seat Jewish film is being compared to Uncut Gems (2019), the Safdie brothers’ fast-paced drama starring an extremely cringeworthy Adam Sandler who seems determined to lose all of his money. While the stakes are certainly higher in Uncut Gems, I was able to relate to Danielle’s plight in Shiva Baby, making it exponentially more stress-inducing. I know how hard it can be to have to explain to aunts and uncles that you have no idea what you’re doing after graduation.
At 77 minutes, the film flies by; but don’t let the short runtime fool you. A lot can happen inside and around the premises of a two-story house crammed with friends and family. Seligman manages to pack endearing mother-daughter moments alongside tangible amounts of sexual tension between Danielle and her ex-girlfriend, giving the story emotional weight on top of its entertainment value. The conclusion is satisfying and feels earned given the small scope of the narrative, but never relents in its painful awkwardness. Shiva Baby is a super fun and promising debut from a female director, and I can’t wait to see what she does next.
I love watching horror movies, independent films, foreign films and the occasional sleazy exploitation dive.
