A near college graduate, Danielle, gets paid by her sugar daddy and rushes to meet her neurotic parents at a family shiva. Upon arrival, she is accosted by various estranged relatives about her appearance and lack of post-grad plans, while her confident ex-girlfriend, Maya, is applauded by everyone for getting into law school. Danielle's day takes an unexpected turn when her sugar daddy, Max, arrives at the shiva with his accomplished wife, Kim, and crying baby. As the day unfolds, Danielle struggles to keep up different versions of herself, fend off pressures from her family and confront her insecurities without completely losing it. Written and directed by Emma Seligman, Shiva Baby, is a dark comedy for the non-traditional tastes.
"SHIVA BABY is about a young woman grappling with family, tradition, and independence. More importantly though, it is about that bitter realization many young women face when they realize that their sexual power isn’t as far-reaching as they thought and that their self-esteem can’t be entirely built upon sexual validation. For some women, this process takes years. For Danielle, it happens in a day, with her neurotic family, her sugar daddy, his wife and baby and Danielle’s accomplished ex-girlfriend all in tow to witness her self-combustion," says Seligman in her director's statement about the film. |
| Emma Seligman by Emma McInture |
"Having grown up in an insular Jewish community, I attended a number of shivas. They always amused me because despite the fact that someone just died, people still ate bagels, complained, showed off their children, asked nosy questions and crossed personal boundaries. I always loved the contrast and thought it would be the perfect setting for a coming of age story. Family events can be filled with the utmost love and warmth, but they are also pervaded by generational differences that make you question your untraditional or non existent career path and your queerness. I wanted to put Danielle in an environment where she’d be confronted by a symphony of all her deepest insecurities," she adds.
 |
| Danny Deferrari and Fred Melamed in Shiva Baby |
This award-winning film has captured the critics attention, including mine. In the witty and dark comedy, there is a lot of truth, vulnerability and raw authenticity that makes the film unique and oddly relatable. From weird characters to strange motives, there is something for everyone in Shiva Baby. I absolutely recommend it. The film has been released in select theaters by Utopia since April 2.
No comments:
Post a Comment