It’s a bold swing to set a comedy at a funeral – but by all accounts, Shiva Baby is not your average comedy. The feature debut by writer-director Emma Seligman received major festival buzz from SXSW and Toronto, with a great cast and a hooky premise, and there’s not long to wait until it arrives on UK screens. The film stars comedian Rachel Sennott as college student Danielle, who over the course of a day at Shiva (a Jewish period of mourning) runs into her sugar daddy and her ex-girlfriend, with her parents also attending the gathering. If that sounds anxiety-inducing, it’s supposed to – check out this exclusive clip from the movie, giving a sense of its tense register, prickling score, and dry wit.
Also among the cast are Fred Melamed as Danielle’s father Joel, Booksmart’s Molly Gordon as her ex-girlfriend Maya, and Danny Deferrari as sugar-daddy Max. Let the awkwardness begin.
Shiva Baby is arriving later this summer, coming exclusively to Mubi’s streaming service on 11 June.