Shiva Baby

We need Emma Seligman to direct a thriller/horror movie...like tomorrow. 😱

This was tense, creepy, claustrophobic. It's not one of those comedies that you laugh a lot, it's more about the absurd of the situation, but this was great.

I wasn't expecting to like this this much and this a fantastic debut for Emma. Great acting by all, but especially Rachel Sennott.

Hollywood has taken a lot of body blows recently; from COVID; from the endless demand for streaming content; and from audience pushback against Tinseltown's horrid culture of self-adoration. Viz, the historically low ratings for the award shows. The only content sector unaffected by all his is the indie category. And, with almost Biblical timing, along comes Emma Seligman, an indie writer/director with an ear for dialog and an eye for staging a scene. She faithfully delivers just the sort of fun ethnic romp which, only a few short years ago, would have been the exclusive territory of a "name" writer or director. Good for her! Recommended.

Loved this film. I thought it was highly relatable as a gay-jewish man. Lots of family similarities. Each character was perfectly casted and realistic. Rachel Sennott was great, the audience really can empathize with her and feel her anxiety and panic rising with each scene. The way the soundtrack and music correlated with the scenes was perfect. I've been seeing some reviews compare it to a horror film, which is quite accurate, considering a family gathering can be horrific, traumatic, especially for a teenager / young-adult. I also found this film really funny, in a dark, unintentional way. Each character was just so absurd and an over-the-top caricature of what a nagging old Jewish lady could be like. The actress who played her mother was perfect as the over-bearing Jewish mother, with constant interrogation of her personal life, and crude jokes. I felt like the movie could have been a long pilot episode for a TV series. The ending was a bit abrupt, but other than that, it was an enjoyable film.

This is a solid horror film masquerading as a comedy.

This movie definitely exceeded my expectations. If you enjoyed Trey Edward Schultz's "Krisha", and you want another story of a woman at a family gathering with an atmosphere of uncomfortable tension punctuated by a low-key score, but as a comedy, you'll probably really enjoy this movie.

Maintaining a strong sense of energy/tension/discomfort/hilarity for a whole movie IS VERY VERY DIFFICULT and VERY IMPRESSIVE.

From the perspective of the protagonist Danielle everyone else seems to have their lives figured out and her refusal to be honest about her uncertainty of where her life is going leads to plenty of awkward miscommunication and amusing moments. The performers' delivery of the script is great, which is a huge relief, because great scripts, particularly for comedies, can fall flat if the delivery isn't perfectly in-sync with the screenwriter's intent. Plenty of indie comedies with decent scripts lack convincing dialogue delivery.

The tension builds along with the intensity of the score and the suffocating way the shots are composed. The grinning faces of Danielle's elderly relatives are occasionally framed in a way that they appear comically menacing.

I'm always looking for good comedies, which can be hard to come by. This is sincerely the best comedy movie of 2020. EXCELLENT JOB EMMA SELIGMAN I AM NOW A FAN!