So many proverbial chickens conveniently come home to roost in Emma Seligman’s Shiva Baby that it’s no wonder the film lays a giant egg.

An exercise in intense anxiety — and not in an appealing, Uncut Gems way — enacted by a cast of vile, shallow, manipulative characters, the would-be dark comedy takes seemingly every drama plaguing college student Danielle (Rachel Sennott) and has them converge at a Flatbush house during a Jewish funeral.

As if it wasn’t enough to untangle the knotty relationships with her childhood best friend and former lover Maya (Molly Gordon, Booksmart), prying parents Debbie (Polly Draper, thirtysomething) and Joel (Fred Melamed, A Serious Man), and other adults who get their kicks commenting on her life choices, in walks Danielle’s sugar daddy Max (Danny Deferrari, Private Life). Followed shortly thereafter by his wife Kim (Dianna Agron, Glee). And their infant daughter.

Naturally, Danielle wasn’t aware that either spouse or child existed, much like Max was misled into thinking his side piece was pursuing a law degree — part of an over-reliance on poor communication in Seligman’s spotty screenplay, which is more interested in treating its characters as plot devices instead of even partially developed human beings.

Seligman’s filmmaking choices are similarly problematic. In case it’s not clear that the gathering is a stressful situation for Danielle, the director employs extreme closeups, rapid-fire dialogue, and an oppressive, percussion-intensive score so that it’s insultingly clear what her protagonist is experiencing. 

Consistent with Seligman’s far more effective 2018 short film by the same name — also starring Sennott, yet running a merciful eight minutes — the reliance on rickety handheld camerawork makes such intrusive moments possible, yet the few random uses of tripods are godsends.

All of the above makes one want to bolt from the house, and it’s confusing why Danielle stays there so long and endures the trauma. It sure isn’t due to any legitimate human connections: Despite minor soulmate vibes that render the prospect of a Danielle/Maya reconciliation fleetingly intriguing, their bond is so haphazardly handled that it all but negates Gordon’s nuanced work. The bungling in turn leaves Shiva Baby without a rooting interest — beyond the arrival of the end credits.

Grade: D-plus. Not rated, but with adult language and themes. Available to rent via grailmoviehouse.com

(Photo: Maria Rusche)