Overview
An awkward encounter at a funeral leads to unexpected revelations about love and identity.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- witty
- anxious
- claustrophobic
- indie movie night
- queer cinema night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised Emma Seligman's confident debut for transforming an awkward Jewish social-comedy premise into an energetic, claustrophobic, and insightful showcase for Rachel Sennott.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Danielle's encounters with her sugar daddy, ex-girlfriend, family, and acquaintances create an increasingly suffocating comic atmosphere.
Danielle's relationships with both men and women shape the central social conflict without treating her bisexuality as a pathology.
The shiva setting brings Danielle into dense networks of relatives, community acquaintances, and parental expectations.
The brief runtime and funeral gathering concentrate Danielle's overlapping secrets and encounters into a single sustained ordeal.
Films like Shiva Baby, and why
A Serious Man
claustrophobic social comedy, Jewish family tension, and uncomfortable self-exposure
Booksmart
anxious coming-of-age humor, sexual identity, and escalating interpersonal embarrassment
The Miseducation of Cameron Post
intimate queer comedy centered on messy relationships and emotionally candid discomfort
The Humans
single-location pressure, cringe comedy, and a protagonist navigating competing social identities
Movie Details
- Director
- Emma Seligman
- Release Date
- 2021-03-26
- Runtime
- 78 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (823)
Cast
- Rachel Sennott
- Molly Gordon
- Polly Draper
- Danny Deferrari
- Fred Melamed
- Dianna Agron
- Glynis Bell
- Sondra James
- Deborah Offner
- Rita Gardner
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, Pijama Films
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Shiva Baby about?
- At a crowded shiva, a financially anxious college student struggles to keep her sex life, bisexual identity, and uncertain adulthood from colliding.
- What is Shiva Baby like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Shiva Baby as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Shiva Baby violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Shiva Baby.
- What did critics think of Shiva Baby?
- Critics broadly praised Emma Seligman's confident debut for transforming an awkward Jewish social-comedy premise into an energetic, claustrophobic, and insightful showcase for Rachel Sennott.
- Which films are like Shiva Baby?
- Films with a similar feel include A Serious Man, Booksmart, The Miseducation of Cameron Post, and The Humans.
- How long is Shiva Baby?
- Shiva Baby runs 78 minutes.
- Where can I watch Shiva Baby?
- In United States, Shiva Baby streams on Amazon Prime Video, MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
