‘Shiva Baby’ REVIEW: Right blend of anxiety and comedy
‘Shiva Baby’ REVIEW: Right blend of anxiety and comedy
Rachel Sennott as Danielle in Shiva Baby (2020).
This review contains spoilers for Shiva Baby (2020).
Who the fuck brings a baby to a shiva?
Shiva Baby was first screened at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), becoming one of the crowd favorites. The film centers around Danielle (Rachel Sennott), a senior in college, as she encounters many misfortunes, including being outshined by her ex-girlfriend (Molly Gordon) and unexpectedly bumping into her sugar daddy (Danny Deferrari) during a shiva: a Jewish funeral service. Unfortunately, the film wasn't available for wide release for several months until this April of 2021. During the time of its limited releases in various online film festivals, Seligman's debut film captured the love of many festival-goers, all of them giving the film the praise it rightfully deserves.
The brilliance of Shiva Baby can be seen throughout the film, but it would not be possible without Seligman's hilarious script. It splendidly captured the awkwardness of horrendous family gatherings—the never-ending questions about your future from your nagging relatives, the painful catch up with the conservative elderlies, and the suffocating affection from everyone. Since it’s set during a family occasion, the film takes place entirely in one setting (except for the opening scene). While some films set in one location get too old after just a couple of scenes, Seligman’s script managed to keep it fresh every time. There are no fillers; each scene is as interesting and important as the last one. Its tightly-choreographed shots, accompanied with Ariel Marx’s impeccably timed and anxiety-inducing score, flawlessly illustrate the script’s lingering tension that builds up and pays off perfectly in the end, satisfying and entertaining the audience.
The script also explored most of young adults’ anxieties concerning their future and success and the realistic struggles of women about their sexuality through the snarky character of Danielle, played effortlessly by the up-and-coming actress and comedian Rachel Sennott. Seligman terrifically fleshed out Danielle’s character under 77 minutes. She didn’t write her as some quirky, goody-two-shoes type of character but rather as an authentically, flawed woman. In most cases, a Jewish female protagonist in a film or a television show is written as a Jewish-American princess, comfortable with their own decisions and prosperous on their journey. Here, Danielle’s insecurities and fears come into full display. Every scene tells us that her life has no path: she keeps on changing majors, still relies on her parents for the bills, and uses sex as both a means of power and income. A foil to Danielle’s character is her ex-girlfriend Maya, charmingly played by the Booksmart actress Molly Gordon. She is well-off, ready to embark on law school. With Maya, Danielle can’t frame herself as a perfect daughter in front of her relatives. Her calm demeanor from the start of the film eventually fades as she also encounters her sugar daddy, Max, played by Danny Deferrari, and learns revelations about him that upsets her even more. The tension heightens and the audience can feel this, with extreme close-up shots tailored to put them in Danielle’s uneased position. Eventually, she bursts out cathartically in the film’s climax, radiating strong emotions.
Molly Gordon and Rachel Sennott, the stand-outs of the film.
Despite being a foil, Maya’s character is not antagonistic. Her character both challenges Danielle’s current state in life and comforts Danielle in the middle of her [Danielle’s] inner chaos. By the end, seeing them together is a relief for the audience, with framed wide shots focused on them that give a sense of release. This is one of the reasons why Seligman’s script excels. Seligman created all of the characters as flawed people and in a good way. There are no stereotypical hoodwinked villains here, only real people experiencing realistic stakes and consequences. Danielle’s mother, Debbie, is a fresh take on the typical Jewish mother role and with the help of Polly Draper’s magnificent performance, Debbie became enjoyable to watch. Dianna Agron’s shiksa character, Kim Beckett, is someone you will most likely hate in a film, but not in this. Despite being a mother to a shrieking baby while handling several businesses with no sweat, her husband Max has the audacity to cheat on her, allowing people to sympathize with her. Max’s actions are disgusting, but it isn’t as if he diabolically planned to ruin their lives. He is a douche, but he is also just dancing on a tightrope like Danielle, albeit much more coolly than her. Under a short runtime of 77 minutes, Seligman is able to present these characters and even make the viewers empathize and connect with them.
Overall, Shiva Baby is brilliantly crafted and perfect for someone looking for a stress-inducing film about tightly-knit family occasions with a decent amount of bisexual chaos set before the pandemic. It is a one-of-a-kind experience that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats while at the same time hurting their stomachs because of laughter. The film is unbelievably impressive for a debut feature: a tangible proof that people should have zero doubts about Emma Seligman's future in the filmmaking industry. Sadly, the film will most likely not be nominated for many prestigious awards, but that does not make this an inferior film and a worthless watch. Everyone should see this film ASAP.
Shiva Baby is now available on VOD.
