Emma Seligman's Shiva Baby packs a whole afternoon of social dread into 77 minutes. The 2020 comedy, made between Canada and the United States, keeps a college student under one roof with her parents, her relatives and the one man she least expected to meet there.
What is Shiva Baby about?
She arrives at a Jewish funeral gathering alongside her mother and father, expecting little more than food, small talk and questions about her future. Then she spots a familiar face across the room: the older man who has been paying for her company, her sugar daddy. Neither of them can leave without drawing attention, and neither can acknowledge the other honestly. From that point the comedy tightens with every conversation. Well-meaning relatives ask what she is studying and what she plans to do next, her parents hover close by, and each new introduction threatens to expose a part of her life she has kept separate from her family. The house is crowded, the exits are few, and the laughs come from watching her improvise answers while trying to stay composed.
About the cast
Rachel Sennott heads the cast, joined by Molly Gordon, Polly Draper, Danny Deferrari, Fred Melamed and Dianna Agron, with Glynis Bell and Sondra James also credited. It is an ensemble piece in the truest sense: most scenes put several performers in the same cramped space, talking over one another, so the timing between them matters as much as any single performance. Emma Seligman is credited as director.
Context & significance
The title points to the setting, a mourning gathering held in a family home after a funeral, and almost the entire story stays inside that house. Comedies built around one location and one stretch of time depend on mounting pressure rather than plot twists, and this one uses family expectations, community gossip and the gap between generations as its fuel. Themes include money, independence, how young adults present themselves to their parents, and the awkwardness of secrets colliding in public. Its short running time makes it an easy evening watch, though the humour is sharp and aimed at adult viewers. Shiva Baby was warmly received and is listed here with Persian subtitles, so viewers who prefer reading Farsi can follow the rapid dialogue comfortably.
Watching Shiva Baby on Ktime
Shiva Baby streams on K-Time with Persian subtitles. K-Time is a Persian-language streaming service for viewers outside Iran, and its menus are fully in Farsi. Reading this page costs nothing; to press play, log in with your K-Time account.