Shiva Baby (2021 film)

I was wondering, after watching enough bad “awkward” comedies, if I was immune to the charms of these films, and having thoroughly enjoyed “Shiva Baby”, I feel better equipped than ever to lay into an Apatow joint. The crucial element here is “Baby”’s ratcheting tension, building thrills out of innocuous conversation turned venomous by how having the context of the previous scene poisons everything conveyed—for instance, “You’re such a good girl!” she’s told after she attempts to debase herself. This, coupled with a soundtrack that could’ve doubled for a horror film, turns “Shiva” into a comic tribute to anxiety.

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