Shiva In Movies

[Vickey Melling]

Ifyou go into an Ultra-Orthodox (or any other) shiva and expect this level of buried sexual tension, you will likely be disappointed. Otherwise, the drab, quiet scenes of mourners drinking coffee in two-story homes in Hendon, and trudging through the chilly London streets in long coats and wigs paint a fair picture of Ultra-Orthodox people carrying out Jewish grief rituals.

MJL: Of course, at a shiva, the main color is going to be black. Emma and I spoke about it a lot. We as the consumer, think of black as one color. There are many, many different shades of black. There are warmer blacks, there are cooler blacks, and depending even upon the type of fabric, black absorbs light or reflects light.

When you put black in front of the lens, it becomes such a dark void, and you can lose a lot of definition from the silhouette of the character. I was really conscious about making sure that the texture and the pattern of whatever costume piece I was using really was the defining point that could help bring more interest into making it black, but interesting.

Emma Seligman's work features bisexual, lesbian, and queer characters very matter-of-factly, and I really appreciate how she doesn't need to have LGBTQ identity as the primary topic of her films. I love Bottoms (2023), but today I'd like to talk about her previous film, which has already been released on DVD overseas.

The protagonist, Danielle, is a bisexual woman about to graduate college, who goes to attend a shiva. Shiva is a seven-day period of mourning following a Jewish funeral; it's a tight community gathering of relatives, friends, and friends' relatives. Danielle is this jaded character who lies about working as a babysitter, while actually getting money from a sugar daddy; but as soon as she shows up at the shiva, her family are all treating her like a child. "So, have you found a boyfriend yet?" "You've gotten so skinny, are you eating properly?" They immediately start interrogating her about everything. She tries to shield herself, but just keeps getting sucked in deeper and deeper and deeper and deeper. I get stressed out easily, so that aspect really resonated with me. All you're doing is just existing, but it's like the walls are closing in on you, that sort of feeling...

I really do end up feeling a lot of that pressure, so it's not a movie I can just casually sit down and rewatch, but it is a comedy ultimately. The first time I watched it was with a friend, both screaming at the screen together; the second time I watched it on my own. Danielle's ex-girlfriend and her sugar daddy (who turns out to be married) both show up at the shiva as well, and Danielle just keeps piling up lies higher and higher as she panics. I really empathized with that feeling of trying to keep her world under control and having everything just spiral, like, "Ahh, yeah, I'm like this all the time!" But it does have a warm, reassuring ending. I really enjoyed getting to draw that!

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One of my weekend ritual these days is to watch a movie at the theatres' mostly Indian movies. Off late some of the movies are so inspiring that I immediately feel like posting it on LinkedIn . Later I say to myself " Oh you cannot talk about movies on LinkedIn". As a kid I grew up thinking movies are only for entertainment and studies should come first. As a matter of fact I hardly watched 3 or 4 movies in theatre till the time I turned 18.

Recently I have been noticing Indian cinema is using it as medium to share wonderful messages. As I started working more on my Public Speaking and speech preparation I began to appreciate the various techniques used in Cinema to influence the audience.

In this post I share my insights about the recent movie "Mission Mangal" based on India's successful Mars mission called the MOM(Mars Orbiter Mission). I applaud the efforts of the entire team of Mission Mangal for taking the amazing work of India's Space Scientists to the big screen . The movie not only throws light on the various challenges faced by the mission and how they overcame it; it also simplifies the complex aspects of the mission so that it can be easily understood by a common man.

One thing that stood out for me is when faced with Challenges our success is determined by our ability to transform them into Opportunities for growth. The project faced all the challenges you can think of ; shortage of budget, time and resources. The scientists at ISRO transformed all these challenges as opportunities and successfully completed the India's first interplanetary mission and became the fourth space agency to reach Mars, after Roscosmos, NASA, and the European Space Agency. It also made India the first Asian nation to reach Martian orbit and the first nation in the world to do so in its maiden attempt.

The movie is so inspiring not only for individuals who wants to succeed in Space Sciences but anyone who wants to reach to their full potential and fulfill their dreams. The 3 major lessons from the movie that can help you deliver your most challenging assignments are :

The film follows Danielle (Rachel Sennott), a bisexual recent university graduate, as she navigates a shiva (a traditional Jewish funeral). Against the backdrop of the religious ritual, she stumbles into a range of unexpected and unwelcome encounters: a suspicious mother, inquisitive aunts full of life advice and her sugar daddy and an ex-girlfriend. The film is a perceptive exploration of post-collegiate malaise, sexual identity, faith and the absolute horror that is an intimate family gathering.

I showed scenes from Krisha to every department head on Shiva, including our composer, Ariel Marx. When she asked me to send her references, this was the only film score that I could think of. Everything else was Yiddish Klezmer music.

I included this on a list of films I asked Rachel Sennott to watch before shooting. It was an odd assortment of sexual coming of age/insecurity/addiction movies that also included Palo Alto, Fish Tank and Shame.

Earning raves from critics and audiences alike, Shiva Baby subverted coming-of-age tropes with witty deadpan tension and a horror-like atmosphere. The film takes place in the course of one 'shiva' (a Jewish period of mourning after a funeral) as Rachel Sennott's Danielle confronts old and present lovers. Filled with anxiety-inducing scenes, the aimless heroine is further continuously interrogated about her life choices by one annoying relative after the other.

In addition to redefining its genre, Shiva Baby has also been praised for its authentic and sensitive portrayal of its Jewish bisexual protagonist. The realistic nature of the situational humor definitely makes debutant writer-director Emma Seligman a talent to watch out for. For fans who finish this film seeking for similar entertainment, they'll be in luck, as this tone is replicated in a number of other recent titles.

Based on the novel of the same name, The Diary Of A Teenage Girl tells the story of a 15-year-old girl (played Bel Powley) who shares a strained relationship with her mother (played by Kristen Wiig). This bond only worsens after she ends up getting sexually active with her mother's boyfriend (played by Alexander Skarsgard).

The film attempts to explore such a sensitive situation from the eyes of its naive heroine. Even though she struggles with several insecurities, the titular "teenage girl" triumphantly ends up finding the meaning of her life.

Olivia Wilde's directorial debut Booksmart stars Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever as two academically bright students who decide to have one first and last night of "breaking rules" as they graduate from high school. As they let loose to have the time of their lives, an unexpected trail of misadventures is set in motion.

Booksmart seems to walk in the footsteps of previous mature teenage comedies like Superbad but it has enough freshness to stand on its own. The grounded performances of its aforementioned leads further add a sense of authenticity to their characters.

August: Osage County makes for a perfect watch for all those who are interested in dysfunctional family dramas. Featuring a top-class ensemble led by Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts, the tragicomedy opens with the disappearance of a family patriarch. The tragic event compels the rest of the extended family to grieve together. But driving back to the familial house brings back traumatic memories and chaos ensues for all of the members, old and young.

Bolstered by Tracy Letts' sharp dialogue, the film is a bittersweet tribute to old age and troubled family relationships. The emphasis on realistic drama makes the film amusingly funny in one scene and painfully mellow in the other.

Written and directed by comedian Bo Burnham, Eighth Grade offers insights into the trials and tribulations of adolescence from a post-millennial perspective. In the world of eighth-grader Elsie Fisher's Kayla, growing up doesn't just mean fitting in school but also staying relevant on social media.

Eighth Grade relies on teenage drama and satire to convey how technology is making teenagers only more alienated from the real world. Some of Eighth Grade's sensitive scenes also touch upon Kayla's relationship with her supportive father as well as her school seniors whom she desperately seeks to impress.

Thunder Road is a noteworthy one-man effort by Jim Cummings who serves as writer, director, producer, as well as lead actor. The film follows a melancholic premise of a mentally troubled police officer who's coping with the death of his mother and a recent divorce.

Cummings seems to give his all in his incredibly moving performance with the critically-acclaimed opening scene unleashing his dramatic prowess. His character Jim Arnauld delivers a heartfelt eulogy for his mother while talking about her favorite Bruce Springsteen song (the film's namesake). It's a highly engaging opening that instantly draws in audiences from the very beginning.

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