SPOILER ALERT: the following article contains massive spoilers, including the ending. If you have not yet seen the movie, proceed at your own risk, or better, come back to this article later!
While at a Jewish funeral service with her parents, a college student has an awkward encounter with her sugar daddy and her ex-girlfriend.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Shiva Baby Plot Summary and Synopsis
College senior Danielle and her sugar daddy Max have vocal sex before she hurries to arrive at a shiva with her parents, Joel and Debbie.
Outside her aunt Sheila’s suburban New York home, where the shiva is being held, Danielle is schooled by her mother on how to respond to questions about her disorganized life, particularly being warned away from “funny business” with high school friend Maya. Within the claustrophobic house, members of the local extended Jewish community compare her to Maya, who is adored by the neighbors and heading to law school.
Maya hovers in the periphery wherever Danielle is, and then confronts her over the buffet. Max, who is a former colleague of Joel’s, arrives, and Debbie insists on introducing them with the hope that one of Max’s relatives will hire Danielle.
The perfect life story she told him is dismantled, but she flirts with him. Debbie pulls Danielle away and reveals that Max is married – Danielle excuses herself to help Sheila cater to the guests.
Overwhelmed by prying neighbors, Danielle is further affected by the arrival of Max’s seemingly perfect but non-Jewish wife, Kim, and their baby, Rose.
Hiding from the couple, she is pushed into an exposed nail, cutting her leg. When she is removing her ripped tights in the downstairs bathroom, she decides to take a topless selfie and send it to Max; disturbed by someone knocking, she leaves her phone by the window as she pulls her shirt back on. She begins anxiously drinking as she finds herself unable to look away from Max, Kim, and Rose, then goes to clean vomit from an adjacent room.
Maya comes to help, catching Danielle looking over at Max. She mistakes the gaze as one directed at Kim, using their apparent shared attraction as a segue to attempt to gauge Danielle’s interest, while Danielle tries to dismiss Kim’s attractiveness and success.
Danielle is reluctantly introduced to Kim, who is interested in making conversation with and hiring her, also revealing that she funds Max’s bachelor lifestyle.
As the life he fed to Danielle and her parents is brought down, Max leaves to fetch coffee. Danielle insults Kim, who starts to become suspicious of her. When Max returns, he spills coffee on Danielle, leading her to have a heart-to-heart with her mother. Maya tries to talk to Danielle, but Max interrupts the two; annoyed, Maya loudly reveals that she and Danielle have had sex, while Max tries to work out if Danielle is romantically interested in him.
Danielle follows him to the upstairs bathroom and tries to give him a blowjob but he leaves. Upset, Danielle goes outside to escape everyone, finding Maya smoking by the side of the house. The two admit that they miss each other and passionately kiss. Maya is excited but finds Danielle’s phone in the bathroom and reads notifications from the sugar baby app; angry, she taunts Danielle about the phone without revealing where it is. Danielle’s anxiety grows when she encounters Kim again, having a measured conversation before she suggests that Max uses their vacant SoHo apartment as a bachelor pad.
When Kim asks if Danielle has a boyfriend or girlfriend, Joel starts talking about her past failed love life and the nearby guests begin to sing the same song they did when she was a baby; the attention she receives makes her feel infantilized and she stressfully imagines Kim singing along and flaunting her relationship with Max.
The guests then gather to say prayers, with Rose screaming until Kim takes her away. Max follows Danielle into the kitchen afterward, and they discuss ending their arrangement; Kim appears and tells Max they should go home. Moments later, she finds Danielle to return her phone and ask for her help to feed Rose. Danielle tries to refuse as Max arrives and fights with Kim, knocking over a vase; Danielle has a breakdown on the floor in front of the guests. Everyone is persuaded to ride home in Joel’s van.
Shiva Baby Ending
The baby continues shrieking as Joel struggles to find the keys and Maya and Danielle affectionately hold hands.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0).