Shiva Baby

Full review: https://www.tinakakadelis.com/beyond-the-cinerama-dome/2021/12/28/portrait-of-a-woman-having-a-nervous-breakdown-shiva-baby-review Horror is no longer just slasher movies with men in masks lurking around corners; it is now encompassing more everyday, real-life horrors. Even the terror of running into your ex-girlfriend and current sugar daddy at a shiva. That’s the general plot of Emma Seligman’s impressive debut, _Shiva Baby_. The movie begins with college senior Danielle (Rachel Sennott) waking up in her sugar daddy Max’s (Danny Deferrari) apartment. She’s running late to a shiva (we don’t ever find out who died) where she meets her parents (Fred Melamed and Polly Draper). Among the other guests are her ex-girlfriend Maya (Molly Gordon), Max, Max’s wife (Dianna Agron), and their infant child. Danielle sees all of these people in the same room, and her anxiety skyrockets. The movie takes place over the course of about two fictional hours, and the action occurs almost entirely in one home. It is a brisk 78 minutes, and that’s a perfect runtime. Another moment of this familial, heart-racing anxiety would have been too much for the audience to handle.

A little light, though 'Shiva Baby' is a good watch. It's cool to see the story expanded from the 2018 short, with additional depth added to the main character - as well as seeing a couple of new additions, of course. Rachel Sennott reprises the lead role and puts in a very solid performance. I wanted a bit more from it in terms of content, as I was pleased to see the credits when the already brief run time (78mins) ticked over - it drags out the story a tad. No big deal though, it's still watchable for sure.

A little light, though 'Shiva Baby' is a good watch. It's cool to see the story expanded from the 2018 short, with additional depth added to the main character - as well as seeing a couple of new additions, of course. Rachel Sennott reprises the lead role and puts in a very solid performance. I wanted a bit more from it in terms of content, as I was pleased to see the credits when the already brief run time (78mins) ticked over - it drags out the story a tad. No big deal though, it's still watchable for sure.