‘Shiva Baby’ delved into the story of a Jewish college senior, Danielle, and left a few questions about the ending of Rachel Sennott’s character. So, DMT touched on a few points about the film’s final scenes in an article in 2021.
Throughout the film, we watched Danielle struggle with her environment at a shiva, a Jewish mourning ritual she attended with her parents.
At the event, the character found out that her sugar daddy, Max, was married. She also tried to deal with ongoing questions from relatives and neighbors while also having some problems with her ex-girlfriend, Maya.
By the film’s end, Danielle had a breakdown, accidentally breaking a vase and dropping some sacred books on the floor. She then left the shiva with her family and Maya in an overpacked van, holding hands with her and smiling.
Based on these, DMT explained the character’s story and ending as her fight for self-acceptance and affection.
Although they weren’t specifically about the final scenes of ‘Shiva Baby,’ Rachel Sennott’s words about the film’s message that year supported the website’s statements.
While the actress referred to the movie’s importance for bisexual and Jewish representation in a chat with Elle, she said:
“Emma [Seligman] wrote a script with such a nuanced depiction of what it’s like to be a bisexual Jewish woman and what it’s like when different parts of her identity clash. The film really highlights the balancing act young women have to manage trying to fit into the different boxes their parents, family, extended family, friends, and society have for them.”
‘Shiva Baby’ used its mostly indoor setting and dialogues to get the theme across. After its 2020 debut, it received a 7.1 score on IMDb.