Shiva Baby
2021 · Directed by Emma Seligman
Original language: English
- comedy
- drama
The story
College student Danielle must cover her tracks when she unexpectedly runs into her sugar daddy at a shiva - with her parents, ex-girlfriend and family friends also in attendance.
What it’s like
Tight, sweaty close-ups in cramped rooms, with the camera pressed in so close to Danielle's face that every flicker of panic reads at once. The palette is sour and fluorescent: beige carpet, dull kitchen light, the bright white of a sunny suburban afternoon that feels like it's been left on too long. Much of the film unfolds in a single extended day inside a family home, and its score is a jittery, pulsing electronic hum that surfaces during the worst moments and drops away into the clatter of forks, murmured small talk and a fridge door. Its vibe is anxious, sharp and squirmingly funny, with the cringe of a party where every conversation could blow up. The pacing is brisk and escalating, the emotional register is wry and raw, and the arc follows a young woman scrambling to keep her carefully built lives from colliding, and slowly admitting what she actually wants. The sexual content is frank and awkward, with some nudity and talk of sugar-daddy arrangements; the violence is verbal rather than physical, and the fear is social rather than dark. Best for people who love sharp, uncomfortable comedy about family, identity and the mess of being twenty-something in New York.
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