In an Afternoon, a Simple Gathering Turns into So Much More

Rachel Sennott in "Shiva Baby"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

Only four months into 2021, it’s safe to say that we have a contender for best directorial debut of the year.  This arrives in the form of writer-director Emma Seligman’s unbearably tense comedy-drama, “Shiva Baby,” a film that unravels at a pace that’s both careful and nerve-racking.

Danielle (Rachel Sennott) is a college senior who isn’t sure what she wants to do with her life.  One day, she and her parents attend a shiva in their Jewish community.  Not too long after arriving, Danielle will have to face questions about her future, while also confronting people from her past.

Rennott provides a career-making performance as a young woman whose life is clouded by uncertainty.  She gives her character some touches of humor, but always keeps a sense of panic in her eyes and facial expressions as Danielle tries to navigate her way through nosy friends and family.  Rennott makes it easy to sympathize with her character because we can all relate to it in one way or another with how we’ve dealt with family, and watching her navigate an afternoon-long inquisition while trying to remain calm keeps us immersed in Danielle’s challenge.  With the anxiety of the situation, Rennott also shows the emotional buildup that her character is facing, showing an individual who could crack under the pressure at any minute while also trying to figure out who she is.

There’s an extensive supporting cast, with the audience being given the chance to meet the many different personalities that have gathered under one roof, but there are a few standouts.  There’s Polly Draper as Danielle’s mother; Molly Gordon as Maya, a young woman with whom Danielle has previous connections; and Dianna Agron as Kim, the wife of Danielle’s latest romantic fling.  All three characters do superb work in being sources of tension for Danielle in their own specific ways, and seeing their interactions with Danielle never fail to make your heart beat fast from your frayed nerves.

Seligman’s screenplay is one that thrives on its dialogue.  Every conversation that takes place in the movie is its own whirlwind, tossing Danielle from one inquisitive acquaintance to another as she tries to answer and dodge their questions about her life.  With the story pretty much taking place in real time, we’re given a view into a single location and all of its details and inhabitants, witnessing a convergence of varying personalities where every interaction is distinct from the others.  

The cinematography by Maria Rusche uses an extensive amount of closeups and medium shots to have us experience the intrusiveness of the shiva attendees as they approach Danielle like vultures who are looking for every last detail about her life.  It all calls to mind the opening scene of Mike Nichol’s “The Graduate” when Benjamin Braddock must make his way through various awkward encounters at his graduation party; except in Danielle’s situation, it lasts for the full movie.  The camera pushes its way through the crowds, placing us in Danielle’s position as she feels the congestion of the crowds closing in on her.  We travel with it as we’re brought from room to room through handheld camera movements that offer the lens a freedom to explore the surroundings.

The score by Ariel Marx mainly uses the plucking of string instruments, which evokes an unsettling feeling throughout.  This use of pizzicato makes it seem as though you’re watching a horror movie, albeit an understated one that’s made all the more frightening because of how close to reality it is.  It’s not an overblown score, but one that matches the minimalist plot and its everyday relatability.  Marx’s score jangles your nerves more and more as the afternoon goes on, assisting the movie in winding the tension tighter until you can’t move.

The way in which Seligman is able to maintain the anxiety-inducing nature of the scenario at hand will have you marvel at how much she can include in a film that’s barely an hour and 15 minutes.  This is a movie that’s character-driven, with Seligman understanding that there’s so much tension to be had just in the way people interact, and this is highlighted in a memorable scene later in the film where you’re pretty much yelling “Get out of the house!” to Danielle.  Between Seligman’s direction, Rusche’s camerawork, Marx’s score, and Hanna A. Park’s editing, this is an effective descent into a congested setting where you’re not safe from the intrusiveness of others.  Despite the tension that keeps building, Seligman is able to uphold the humor of the film and help you relax a bit in the middle of the barrage of questions that Danielle experiences.

Although you might be rooting for Danielle to save her sanity and leave the party, “Shiva Baby” will have you, as a viewer, not wanting to leave these small-scale thrills quite so soon.

Grade: A