Emma Seligman's Shiva Baby has been one of the most talked-about independent films of the year so far. Screen Co-Editor George White finds out why...
Director: Emma Seligman
Starring: Rachel Sennott, Danny Deferrari, Fred Melamed
Running time: 77 minutes
Every year, there are a few independent films that wrestle their way into the mainstream. Last year there was Minari and Nomadland, the year before saw Blinded by the Light and Waves. Six months into 2021, audiences across the globe have been treated to Shiva Baby – a micro-budget movie shot almost entirely in one setting – which has picked up an impressive score of 98% on Rotten Tomatoes and several high-profile awards. Like those that have come before it, this small-scale indie packs a big punch, with its unique, original storytelling bringing something completely fresh to the saturated world of cinema.
Set in the most unlikely of places, a shiva – a wake-like gathering observed in Judaism to mourn the death of a loved one – the film follows Danielle (a splendid Rachel Sennott) as she navigates a complex relationship with her ex-girlfriend, unbearably intrusive relatives and the shocking discovery that her sugar daddy is married with children – with all of this taking place in near enough the same room.
If this sounds like the recipe for an anxiety-provoking hour-and-a-bit, that is exactly what director Emma Seligman is going for. Through her claustrophobic, personal space-invading camerawork, the audience is fully immersed in Danielle’s struggles as she attempts to keep things together in the most nerve-inducing, and sometimes inexplicable, ways.
With the majority of the movie’s shots focused, up-close, on Sennott’s face as revelatory conversations take place just in earshot, the viewer gets to see – and feel – every painful grimace and nervous twitch as our hero’s secrets continuously edge towards being revealed.
The 25-year-old actor is phenomenal throughout, conveying each emotion with striking conviction and developing a character that is ridiculously flawed but still likeable; a feat made all the more remarkable considering some of the rather questionable acts she commits throughout the film’s short runtime.
Shiva Baby fully commits to trying something new, something never seen before, and largely pulls it off
If Shiva Baby has any major pitfall, it would be just how obnoxious the vast majority of its characters are, with pretty much every player in the game wearing their imperfections very clearly on their sleeves.
Despite this, Seligman does a fantastic job of hooking the viewer into the story. Making the most of Ariel Marx’s chilling, tense score – packed full of screeching violins and distorted operatic numbers – the director often plays out the narrative more as a thriller than a comedy, with Danielle attempting to escape the horrors of her reality like a protagonist escaping a would-be murderer in any Wes Craven movie. It’s daring and bold, and takes a completely unique approach that very few will see coming.
While it may not be the most charming film with the most pleasant characters, Shiva Baby fully commits to trying something new, something never seen before, and largely pulls it off with aplomb. With Seligman working wonders behind the camera, and Sennott overcoming everything thrown at her in front of it, this film squeezes a massive amount from its microscopic budget. Welcome to the Indie Hall of Fame, baby.
Did you know? Kim (Dianna Agron) is referred to as a "shiksa", meaning non-Jewish woman. However Dianna Agron is actually Jewish in real life, unlike lead Rachel Sennott.
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