Shiva Baby Movie Storyline. In Emma Seligman’s delightfully anxiety-driven comedy “Shiva Baby,” the post-funeral service rites of a Jewish family and friends are interrupted by a chaotic series of one-upmanships and unexpected guests. Based on Seligman’s short of the same name, “Shiva Baby” follows Danielle (Rachel Sennott) on her way to meet her family for the somber occasion after an appointment with her sugar daddy.
Once reunited with family, Danielle’s parents Debbie (Polly Draper) and Joel (Fred Melamed) put her in bad spirits with their fussing and arguing as they head into a house to mourn an old family friend, someone Danielle doesn’t quite remember but is pretty sure played cards with her grandmother. However, her stress is just beginning. Danielle runs headfirst into a slew of questions about her future prospects, both professional and personal, from family friends and relatives.
Then, she spots an old childhood friend she had a relationship with, Maya (Molly Gordon), someone her mother now instructs her to avoid. The awkward situation gets even more complicated when Danielle’s sugar daddy, Max (Danny Deferrari), arrives at the party. His wife Kim (Dianna Agron) and their baby, Rose, will soon arrive. Now, Danielle must navigate between prying questions about her life while stifling her horror at being stuck in the same house with two people she kept at a distance.
Shiva Baby is a 2020 comedy film written and directed by Emma Seligman. An international co-production of the United States and Canada, the film stars Rachel Sennott as Danielle, a directionless young bisexual Jewish woman who attends a shiva with her family. Other attendees include her successful ex-girlfriend Maya (Molly Gordon), and her sugar daddy Max (Danny Deferrari) with his wife Kim (Dianna Agron) and their screaming baby. It also features Fred Melamed and Polly Draper as Danielle’s parents Joel and Debbie, with Jackie Hoffman and Deborah Offner in supporting roles.
Adapted from Seligman’s own 2018 short film of the same name, it premiered online at the 2020 South by Southwest film festival, while its first public screenings were at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was released in theaters and streaming on April 2, 2021. The events of the film take place almost entirely in real time and at one location as Danielle explores her romantic and career prospects under the intense watch of her family, friends, and judgmental neighbors.
The film received positive reviews from critics. It was praised for its representation of bisexual and Jewish people, being described as accessible for all audiences, and for effectively conveying anxiety-inducing claustrophobia. Seligman was praised for successfully drawing up tension within the film, especially considering it as her feature directorial debut, and won several awards for her screenplay. The cast and the musical score by Ariel Marx, likened to that of a horror film, were also praised.
About the Story
College senior Danielle and her sugar daddy Max have sex before she hurries to a shiva with her parents, Joel and Debbie. Before the shiva, at her aunt Sheila’s house, Danielle is schooled by her mother on how to respond to questions about her disorganized life. Within the house, members of the local extended Jewish community compare her to her ex-girlfriend Maya, who is adored by the neighbors and heading to law school. Max, who is a former colleague of Joel’s, arrives, and Debbie insists on introducing him to Danielle in the hopes that one of Max’s relatives will hire her. They have an awkward exchange and Debbie reveals to her that he is married, shocking Danielle.
Overwhelmed by prying neighbors, Danielle is further affected by the arrival of Max’s seemingly perfect but non-Jewish wife, Kim, and their baby, Rose. After ripping her tights, Danielle retreats to the bathroom where she takes a topless photo and sends it to Max. She is interrupted and accidentally leaves her phone in the bathroom before leaving. Unable to look away from Max and his family, she offers to go clean vomit from an adjacent room in order to escape. Maya comes to help, catching Danielle repeatedly looking at Max. She mistakes the gaze as one directed at Kim and attempts to gauge Danielle’s interest, while Danielle tries to dismiss Kim’s attractiveness and success.
Danielle is reluctantly introduced to Kim, who is interested in making conversation with and hiring her, though Danielle is jealous and rebuffs her offer. It is also revealed that Kim is the breadwinner of the family and therefore unknowingly funds Max’s arrangement with Danielle. Danielle insults Kim’s career, and Kim grows suspicious when she notices Danielle wearing the same expensive bracelet that Max had given to her.
Shiva Baby (2021)
Directed by: Emma Seligman
Starring: Rachel Sennott, Molly Gordon, Polly Draper, Cilda Shaur, Danny Deferrari, Fred Melamed, Dianna Agron, Rita Gardner, Jackie Hoffman,, Sondra James, Richard Brundage, Deborah Offner
Screenplay by: Emma Seligman
Production Design by: Cheyenne Ford
Cinematography by: Maria Rusche
Film Editing by: Hanna Park
Costume Design by: Michelle J. Li
Art Direction by: Jack Dobens
Music by: Ariel Marx
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Utopia, Pacific Northwest Pictures
Release Date: March 15, 2020 (SXSW), March 26, 2021 (Canada), April 2, 2021 (United States)
Visits: 30
