Shiva Baby is a fantastic, funny and fresh first feature film from Emma Seligman. Not only does this film shine in its originality but also in the care and precision of the technical aspects of it.
Shiva Baby is truly a masterpiece in creating an atmosphere, for all of its short runtime there’s an extremely distinct sense of claustrophobia and anxiety that builds upon itself and spirals out of control until it all comes bursting out. This is in part thanks to the effortless cinematography throughout, with lots of uncomfortable angles and close-ups helping the audience truly feel how trapped Danielle feels at the Shiva. The looming sense of anxiety and dread can also be attributed to the incredibly unique score, using an essentially all string score, something that would be more akin to a horror, really set this film apart as a coming-of-age comedy. Every awkward moment suddenly took on new meaning, these scenarios and bombardment of questions from people were horrifying to Danielle and truly caused her pain.
Honestly the constant questioning and attacking of Danielle was handled beautifully, Seligman captured the falsities and pressures associated with social gatherings, especially familial ones, perfectly. Despite this being a sad event, the communal attitude, gossiping and judging was one of a more normal familial gathering which highlights the lack of care truly for the people there, the purpose of the event is to find information on as much people as you can and through the lens of Danielle it’s clear how uncomfortable and unsuited certain people are to these sorts of social formalities.
All the performances throughout were spectacular but especially Rachel Sennott who was a delight to watch on screen, with a lot of scenes being purely glances towards other characters she was able to express multiple emotions so subtly and sharply, it was an incredible performance. Danielle as a character too was a breath of fresh air for queer protagonists, for one she’s a bisexual lead which aren’t often seen on screen but also her sexuality wasn’t written as part of the plot it was simply who she was which again was refreshing. Both her relationship with Maya and her sugar daddy were able to coexist and they weren’t put against each other or a conflict between the two wasn’t created which often happens with bisexual leads.
The film manages to also have fantastic social commentary over women using sexual power to their advantage. While Danielle doesn’t need to be sugaring to earn money, it does suggest that there are women who are out there in college on apps selling their bodies to get an education. But I suppose more fascinatingly since Danielle isn’t in need of money, the film explores the idea of it being more about power for Danielle and not only power but true intimacy and appreciation. When we see Danielle break down I think it’s fascinating to look at it in the lens of it being a break-up with her sugar daddy who she cares for and thought he cared for her back. Obviously this moment is a culmination of things but I do find it interesting that despite money and power being involved it’s clear that a connection and love between them existed.
Overall I really loved this film and considering how much this film was made for and the lack of locations it’s a masterful example of how much can be done with the medium.
★★★★1/2
