At a Jewish funeral service (shiva) with her parents, a college student runs into her sugar daddy.
Shiva Baby■
Synopsis
Marking the debut of writer-director Emma Seligman, Shiva Baby is a darkly playful comedy of unease about a young bisexual woman grappling with tradition and independence, featuring a standout lead performance from emerging actor-comedian Rachel Sennott.
The story follows Danielle, a college student on the verge of graduating who is faced with a series of increasingly awkward and humiliating encounters at a climactic day-long shiva, a Jewish gathering of friends and family during a time of mourning. Under the watchful gaze of her neurotic but well-meaning parents, Danielle is bombarded with prying questions from overbearing relatives and rattled by the appearance of an ex-girlfriend who she’s still smitten with. In an even more disastrous coincidence, Danielle’s secret sugar daddy unexpectedly arrives with a wife and screaming baby she knew nothing about, escalating the tension to an excruciating fever pitch.
A refreshingly uncoy depiction of the humour, confusion and exhilaration that accompanies young female sexuality, Shiva Baby is bold, modern filmmaking at its most daring, hilarious and unforgettable.
Credits
Rating: 15
Genre: Comedy
Director: Emma Seligman
Stars: Rachel Sennott, Danny Deferrari, Fred Melamed
