an actress Molly Gordon she has her moment in the spotlight. Not only was she heavily cast in Season 2 of the acclaimed FX show The bearbut she is also making her directorial debut, along with Nick Liebermanwith the society Theater Camp. The film, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and also features The bearand But Edebiri, also featuring Gordon as Rebecca-Diane’s drama teacher. He is also credited as a writer on the film, which has been receiving several positive reviews. There’s no denying that Gordon is at a career high, perhaps the highest she’s ever been since she started on TNT. Animal kingdom. When such a moment comes in the life of a young player, it is almost impossible not to stop and take a long look at the works they have done before. And if there’s a Molly Gordon role that deserves a careful look, this is it Child of Shivaand Maya.
Written and directed by Emma Seligman, Child of Shiva somewhere between a comedy, a drama, and, to be honest, a horror movie. More important than 99% of adult life experiences put together, the film was dubbed the queer millennial Uncut Gemsin reference to the Adam Sandler– a movie star that made everyone and their moms despair back in 2019. Released the following year, Child of Shiva there is a bottle movie with a star Rachel Sennott as Danielle, a young Jewish woman trapped in Shiva with her pregnant parents, her ex-boyfriend, and one of her sugar daddy, along with his wife and little daughter. The whole thing is just as scary as it sounds, and Seligman manages to be both a horrifying experience and an enjoyable watch, all at the same time.
Who will Molly Gordon play in ‘Shiva Baby’?
In the middle of all this chaos, Molly Gordon plays Maya, the ex-girlfriend with whom Danielle has a contentious relationship. Maya is, after all, much more successful than Danielle, at least in the eyes of their parents and other adult members of their community. While Danielle studies sex in college and has no plans to choose a major, Maya works her way through law school. A far more prestigious career path is one that Danielle herself has embraced as part of the stories she tells Max (Danny Deferrari) and her other sugar daddy.
Comparisons are often drawn between Maya and Danielle, although most of the time not in a straightforward way. They are present in the comments of the other Shiva participants, with the disgust that their voices are lowered when they talk about Danielle’s studies or about the easy job she has as a childcare worker. It is clear, at least from Danielle’s point of view, who is the real golden child in that situation, and the different standards of the two women create a canyon wound in the middle of their relationship.
Child of Shiva he never tells us why Maya and Danielle broke up. However, the film makes it clear that their parents and their community do not see being together with the kindest of eyes. The two mothers Maya and Danielle watch over their daughters like a hawk during the whole ceremony and the dinner ahead of them, making sure that there is no “funny business” between them. At one point, Danielle’s mother, Debbie (Polly Draper), asking her if she has “experimented,” refusing to accept her daughter’s bisexuality.
Maya Molly Gordon is one of the biggest anxiety-inducing factors in the film
In this suffocating situation, Maya seems to be succeeding, at least at first glance. Sensing Danielle’s discomfort, she does her best to make sure Rachel Sennott’s character doesn’t have a single moment to herself. When Danielle finds herself alone, finally able to breathe after another tax conversation in which her abusive parents try to find her sugar daddy to find a job, Maya comes to asked why she is looking at Max’s wife all the time or if she even knew the old woman whose death everyone mourns.
Unlike Danielle’s parents, who are completely unaware that something is wrong, or Max, who is also uncomfortable with himself, Maya senses the opportunity to make Danielle feel bad and jumps. on. And she does it with a smile on her face. Gordon introduces the character with a joy that makes him one of the most unusual in the entire film. (And, when it comes to Child of Shiva(that should always be taken as a compliment.) After all, in a movie ridden with touchy neighbors and strange relatives, it’s certainly necessary to make yourself one of the most amazing people in the room, especially when you have such a warm feeling like Gordon.
Maya is also a stress reliever for Danielle
But even if at first it seems that Maya enjoys watching Danielle suffer, completely immune to any criticism herself, as the situation develops, it becomes clear that this is not the case. true Maya and Danielle mirror each other, a bittersweet reminder of what they could have been if only one thing had gone differently in their lives. They are both trapped in the same terrible event, constantly harassed by the older adults who see them as nothing more than misbehaved children.
Something that is interesting to notice in the dynamic between the two characters is how it seems that Maya’s motivation is like a child and Danielle’s backstory. They are always close to sticking out their tongues at each other. This is not an accident. Meanwhile Shiva, Maya and Danielle are reduced to little children by everyone around them, their sexuality is denied, and their achievements are put up side by side like science fair projects, aren’t they never a measure of their own success, but the success of their parents. In this context, even Max stops looking at Danielle as a de facto deserter, instead looking down on her with pity when she tries to engage in sexual activity.
And so, when the pressure becomes too much for Danielle to handle, Maya abandons her resistance to torture. She stops trying to pretend that she is one of the real adults who makes Shiva know her ex-husband so seriously. The wall that separates the two women crumbles, and Maya appears as a source of comfort and love. Gordon accepts this new role easily, her eyes looking at Sennott with warmth. For the first time, Danielle feels a non-aggressive touch in the form of Maya’s hands caring for her, both literally and figuratively.
Molly Gordon this piece Child of Shiva he is not among the most attractive in the film. Among the sound that is always created by Debbie Draper and Fred Melamedand Joel, Danielle’s father, and with the complacency of Deferrari’s Max, it is easy to appreciate Gordon’s accomplished performance. However, Maya’s words and techniques are key to making the film the haunting it is. Likewise, it is the presence of the character that finally brings both Danielle and the viewers back from all the stress. And it’s hard to imagine anyone other than Gordon embodying every aspect of this character with the same effortless gusto.
