Jewish International Film Festival: Shiva Baby

Shiva Baby – Hilarity, awkwardness and razor-sharp tension.

Shiva Baby is an unrelentingly tense exploration of what it means to be a young Jewish woman, dealing with modern problems in a traditional setting. Emma Seligman, in her feature directorial debut, explores the difficulty in balancing the over-interested parents and the expectations of success, against a backdrop of situational, comedic misfortune.

Danielle (Rachel Sennott) is a bisexual woman whose ‘sugar daddy’ Max (Danny Deferrari) is unexpectedly attending the same shiva as her, with his wife and child. Danielle is attending along with her parents, and it quickly comes to light that neither of them had been truthful in their encounters up to that point. The shiva – which is essentially the setting of the entire movie – is an event filled with nosy grandmothers, huge platters of food, the pursed lips of disapproving aunts, and interminable small talk. There are constant comments on weight: Danielle is told she is too skinny while simultaneously being reminded that she was once larger; a microcosm of the pressure being put on Danielle to fit their expectations of whom she should be.

The score, comprised mostly of dissonant strings, is akin to that of a horror film. The people are sweaty, the house is crowded with bodies, the mis-en-scène is a visual representation of how suffocated Danielle is feeling. The constant questioning over potential boyfriends coupled with a gentle mocking of the feminist marches Danielle helps organise, paints an agonising picture for a young queer woman. Her parents means well, but insistent prying and embarrassment leaves Danielle completely alienated, a theme Seligman has clearly set out to explore with this film.

Her estranged best friend/ex-girlfriend Maya, played wonderfully by Molly Gordon, is a breath of fresh air through the claustrophobia felt in every scene. She is the only other young person there, and the only character who understands what Danielle is experiencing. In group situations, Maya, who has the better resume on paper (graduating from law school etc.) delights in forcing Danielle to have the conversations that both of them hate. The games they play show great love and an inexhaustible desire to vex one another, which makes for fantastic viewing.

Shiva Baby is a sparkling comedy and a triumph for Emma Seligman and her excellent cast. They’ve danced a wonderful line between cringing intensity and dark, sharp wit, and should be recommended to absolutely everyone.

Shiva Baby is screening at the Jewish International Film Festival and screening at Classic Cinemas, Elsternwick and Lido Cinemas, Hawthorn.

Jewish International Film Festival 
Till Sunday 25 April 2021
jiff.com.au