Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
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.
Shiva Baby is a genuinely singular achievement — a claustrophobic, anxiety-inducing chamber piece that weaponizes the confined shiva setting to devastating comic and dramatic effect. Emma Seligman's direction is unmistakably distinct, using a restless handheld camera, oppressive close-ups, and an abrasive string score to externalize Danielle's internal dread. Rachel Sennott's performance is a standout — all nervous deflection and barely contained panic — anchoring a uniformly strong ensemble. The cinematography is exceptional for its scale, creating genuine physical unease through framing and proximity. Novelty is high because no film quite sounds, feels, or moves like this one. The plot is essentially a pressure-cooker farce with real emotional stakes, which works brilliantly, though it is relatively slight in scope. The ending is tonally consistent but somewhat abrupt, leaving threads deliberately loose in a way that satisfies some and frustrates others.