Directed By:Emma Seligman
Written By:Emma Seligman
Shiva Baby
Metascore
Generally Favorable
79
User score
Generally Favorable
7.3
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
79
92% Positive
22 Reviews
22 Reviews
8% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Apr 2, 2021
100
Paced to perfection and grounded by a magnetic leading performance, Shiva Baby is as painfully awkward as it is impossible to look away from.
Apr 1, 2021
90
A perfectly engineered and performed piece of comic cringe.
User score
Generally Favorable
7.3
79% Positive
58 Ratings
58 Ratings
16% Mixed
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
4% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
Feb 16, 2022
8
This is a quite claustrophobic feeling domestic drama, with a really good use of stringed instrument type music to really bring home the tension felt in certain scenes. The camerawork used also really highlights the almost suffocating atmosphere the main character finds herself in. I thought the main performance was very well done by Rachel Sennott. I also liked the way strong lighting/colours were used to again highlight the sense of I suppose intensity and tension present in scenes. Yes, I'd recommend this film as a good indie film, a good film about social judgements in a Jewish funeral setting I guess.
Jan 7, 2022
8
The simple existence of a young woman representing one of the most stressful moments in life, when you have no way to go.
Shiva could be translated to what we know as a novenary in Mexico, but it isn't similar at all, it manages to create an atmosphere of strangeness and disorientation despite the film occurs in only one location, this done on purpose due to the main theme that is the acceptation.
What I love about this indie films is that the director always take advantage of what is available for their films, in this case, Emma Seligman made an excellent debut as a director and writer.
The performances were very organic in every moment, these being the ones that had me immersed in the film all the time. It has a great script, but when it's about the proof of a concept and not to tell a story as such, is difficult to enter and understand what the movie wants to show you, like the director said "This film is a bar joke".
Jun 10, 2021
80
Seligman’s command of the flow and swell of comic tension is thrillingly intuitive – she knows exactly when to let it well up, and when to pop it for maximum effect.
Sep 15, 2020
80
Having grown up in a tight-knit Jewish community herself, Seligman tightly orchestrates it all with loving cultural specificity and nuance, working her satirical muscles to a thrilling extent.
Apr 7, 2021
75
From its title on down to the rugelach, Shiva Baby is an instant classic in the Jewish comedy of mortification, a genre that combines hilarity, anxiety, resentment and schmaltz.
Sep 16, 2020
75
The concept and the laughs hold strong amid all the craziness because Seligman has such affectionate sympathy for her mendacious protagonist.
Apr 1, 2021
60
Unfortunately, writer-director Emma Seligman’s Shiva Baby, despite its thematic acuity, loopy vitality and committed acting, doesn’t add up to enough in its too-brief 72 minutes (plus end credits) to warrant all the cross-wired mayhem that gets us over the movie’s dubious finish line.
Oct 31, 2021
8
This movie just felt so good, unique and fun!
The jokes definitely landed for me, the acting in this film was also incredible and so was the story which was so good and enthralling!
To come to the point I enjoyed this movie a lot and can absolutely recommend you to watch it.
Jun 15, 2021
8
A refreshing movie about crumbling apart because of all the crap a young woman has to endure. Through claustrophobia and a tension worthy of a horror film, director Emma Seligman builds a story about social scrutiny and impossible expectations. Funny, witty, and very down-to-Earth, 'Shiva Baby' is a prime example of a fine movie lasting less than 80 minutes.
Mar 7, 2022
7
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.
Nov 16, 2021
6
no one told me it would be a horror movie! the score and the cinemaphotography are really good and they create a very disturbing atmosphere. However, in the end I think the result is flat, mainly because of the script and how it drags on
Apr 5, 2021
5
From what I had heard about this film, frankly I must say that I was expecting something much more substantial, and above all funnier, but it rarely succeeds. Shiva Baby lasts only 77 minutes and is based on a short film of the same that it also directed by the same director. For me it's pretty clear that this story should have stayed that way, because even with the short duration, it's incredibly notorious how it tries to extend the narrative and can hardly do so in a way that justifies the whole thing.
Production Company:
- Bad Mensch Productions
- Dimbo Pictures
- Irving Harvey
- It Doesn't Suck Productions
- Neon Heart Productions
- Thick Media Co.
Release Date:Apr 2, 2021
Duration:1 h 17 m
Rating:TV-MA
Awards
Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Awards
• 5 Nominations
DiscussingFilm Critic Awards
• 3 Nominations
Chlotrudis Awards
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
