Rachel Sennott's breakout Shiva Baby is leaving Netflix

Rachel Sennott has emerged as one of the most promising young comedians in Hollywood, and her breakout role came in Emma Seligman’s 2020 comedy-thriller Shiva Baby. The 77-minute film turns social awkwardness into a claustrophobic, almost horror-like experience, and it’s worth watching (or revisiting) before it leaves Netflix.

Sennott plays Danielle, a young Jewish woman who reluctantly attends a shiva with overbearing parents Joel (Fred Melamed) and Debbie (Polly Draper). The feature expands on Seligman’s 2018 short by adding Danielle’s sugar daddy Max (Danny Deferrari) and her ex-girlfriend Maya (Molly Gordon); tension rises when both show up, forcing Danielle into panicked lies, awkward encounters with Kim (Dianna Agron) and stress-eating at the funeral buffet.

Sennott’s performance earned a Gotham Award nomination for Breakthrough Actor, with much of the film’s tension carried by her subtle expressions and shifting moods.

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