SHIVA BABY
US, 2020, 77 minutes, Colour.
Rachel Sennott, Molly Gordon, Polly Draper, Danny Deferrrari, Fred Melamed, Diana Agron, Jackie Hoffman.
Directed by Emma Seligman.
There is a nonchalant, offhand tone about the title, Shiva Baby. The setting is, in fact, Shiva rituals of celebrating the dead.
We are introduced to Danielle, played by Rachel Sennot, a precocious young woman as it turns out. She claims to be a student and we find her in a sexual relationship with one of her lecturers. But it is a relationship in which he pays her.
There are complications with her parents, their hopes for her, her wanting some independence, making her own choices, and building up her finances from her relationships. The trouble with the sexual relationship is that the lecturer is married with a young child.
While the audience might be wondering where this is all leading, their expectations are cut short when Daniela is persuaded by her parents to go to the Shiva gathering. And, who is present but the lecturer and his wife and child? What follows is a series of both comic and dramatic, with touches of the tragic, encounters, avoiding encounters, the discovery that Danielle has had a sexual relationship with a fellow student at school who is still wanting to keep up the relationship. There are many tangles, including Danielle mislaying her mobile phone, her taking some provocative photos, and their being discovered.
There is a great deal of talk, quite a range of conversations, aggressively protective mother and comic performance from Fred Melamed as the father, a range of aunts and relations and neighbours who are continually wanting to have conversations with Danielle about her future, while Danielle is busy trying to escape some attention by helping with the catering and service.
There is the drama of the fickle lecturer and his relationship with his exceedingly competent business wife and the presence of the child at the Shiva.
There is quite a comic ending, the father insisting on giving everybody a lift and Danielle and family, the lecturer, wife and child, and a neighbour all crammed into a van.
There has been some criticism of the screenplay that it presents caricatures of this kind of American Jewish community – but, others comment that, nevertheless, this is fairly real!
1. The title? Shiva? The funeral, the wake, the celebration of the dead? The gathering of friends and family? Rituals? And Danielle at the Shiva?
2. The brief running time, action over several hours, the location of Max’s office, the streets outside the Shiva, the house and its interiors, upstairs and downstairs? The musical score? Jewish music tones?
3. A portrait of Danielle, her age, memories of school, the friendship with Maya, the prom, the sexual encounter, the break with Maya? Her relationship with her parents, Joel as easy-going, optimistic? Debbie as the stereotypical Jewish mother, love, concern, fuss, intervening? Career plans, babysitting, the affair with Max and the Finance? How emotionally involved? The talk about job interviews, the talk about study? Her emotional turmoil? Her lies?
4. Danielle at the Shiva, her parents and the van, avoiding Maya, the comments about her losing weight, the issue of eating or not? Chatting with the various family friends? Discovering Max present, his wife and baby? The mounting tension, her looking at him, upstairs in the bathroom, changing her clothes, the photo and texting it? The conversations with Kim, about the baby? Awkwardness, helping with the mundane things, breaking things, the coffee spilled over her? Losing her phone, asking Maya who had looked at it? The revelation that Kim had found it? Her wanting to leave, her parents, outside with Maya, the kiss?
5. Max, married, carrying on the affair, relationship with Kim and the daughter, giving money to Danielle? At the Shiva? Tensions, his concern, communicating with Daniel, relationship with his wife? Going aside, the possibility of sex, his refusing? His reputation? Kim and her awareness of what was going on? Kim, not Jewish, entrepreneur, her companies, working from home, planning more children?
6. The sketch of Daniel’s parents, stereotypes, critical, amusing?
7. Maya, her relationship with Daniel, the past, the prom, her being frank in discussing it, following Daniel, helping her, outside, the kiss? The future?
8. The humorous finale, Maya and her fussing mother, the old lady, Max and Kim on the daughter, Joel enthusiastic and for fitting everyone in the van? The final focus on all the characters – and wondering about the future?
