Shiva Baby: Emma Seligman's Claustrophobic Comedy of Jewish Mourning and Sugar Dating

Emma Seligman's debut feature 'Shiva Baby' (2021) is a tight 75-minute film that plays like a theatrical piece, set almost entirely within a single house during a Jewish shiva (funeral celebration). The story follows Danielle (Rachel Sennott), a sugar baby who must navigate her sugar daddy Max and his wife, her own parents, and a former girlfriend at the gathering. The film explores themes of bisexuality, adultery, and the anxiety of an uncertain future, with a paranoid violin score and claustrophobic cinematography. Originally a short film written at New York University, 'Shiva Baby' balances grotesque comedy and drama, with a Woody Allen-esque cynicism. It was released on MUBI during Pride Month. The film's tension is conveyed through Danielle's facial expressions and body language as she fields constant questions about her future from guests, while managing her secret extramarital relationship with Max.