Marking the debut of writer-director Emma Seligman, Shiva Baby is a darkly playful comedy of unease about a young bisexual woman grappling with tradition and independence, featuring a standout lead performance from emerging actor-comedian Rachel Sennott. The story follows Danielle, a college student on the verge of graduating who is faced with a series of increasingly awkward and humiliating encounters at a climactic day-long shiva, a Jewish gathering of friends and family during a time of mourning. Under the watchful gaze of her neurotic but well-meaning parents, Danielle is bombarded with prying questions from overbearing relatives and rattled by the appearance of an ex-girlfriend who she’s still smitten with. In an even more disastrous coincidence, Danielle’s secret sugar daddy unexpectedly arrives with a wife and screaming baby she knew nothing about, escalating the tension to an excruciating fever pitch. A refreshingly uncoy depiction of the humour, confusion and exhilaration that accompanies young female sexuality, Shiva Baby is bold, modern filmmaking at its most daring, hilarious and unforgettable. A breakout hit at 2020’s Toronto International Film Festival and SXSW, the film co-stars Dianna Agron, Fred Melamed and Polly Draper.