It is no surprise that Shiva Baby is a movie directed by a woman (Emma Seligman) given the complex female dynamics that are prominently featured, and which make the film stand out from others. The nuanced situation the women find themselves in highlights the intuition each of them has, as it feels they are inexplicably tied to one another despite different levels of personal involvement. Our female characters are the main character Danielle, Debbie (Danielle’s mom), Maya (Danielle’s ex-girlfriend), and Kim (Danielle’s sugar daddy’s wife). 

From the moment Danielle recognizes her sugar daddy at the Shiva, the camera focuses on the different female characters showing their sideways glances and obvious confusion about what is bothering Danielle. There are lingering shots of Debbie, who is concerned about her daughter, Maya, who is more curious than concerned, and notably Kim, who has no relation to Danielle. 

Kim is an especially interesting example of female intuition given her lack of relationship with Danielle. Danielle is clearly standoffish from the start as she aggressively turns down the babysitting job and feels the need to justify herself to a group of strangers. Kim could have easily written this off as a part of Danielle’s character but instead notices the bracelet which was initially hers but which her husband ultimately gave to Danielle. This moment in particular stands out because it seems that Kim immediately begins to connect the dots despite a lack of information. We see her hesitate and ask Danielle questions about the bracelet, trying to put it all together before jumping to conclusions. This is a prime example of female intuition because Kim feels deep down that something is just off and this prompts her to ask questions. 

The reason this is a better example of female intuition rather than general intuition is that the male characters are rarely featured and the ones who are pay little attention to Danielle’s behavior and are largely unaware of the situation. The sugar daddy is overly concerned with protecting himself and is totally unaware that Kim has caught onto the situation and the dad forces them all into a car together at the end not understanding the awkwardness and absurdity of the situation. Interestingly, every female character tries to turn him down when he offers to drive even though Debbie and Maya are not fully aware of the situation. Here, their intuition leads them to conclude that driving together is not a good idea and that they should protest. In the end, though, Kim is the one who agrees to drive with them and who gets in the car even though she has likely figured out the situation. Instead of this being an act of giving in, she likely uses it to her advantage to make her husband uncomfortable after all he has put her through. 

I think this female intuition stems from common experiences between people who identify as women. Though gender can be viewed as a construct and a performance of sorts there are certain conflicts that many women can bond over. Seligman presents us with the conflict of a man double crossing these two women and the women come together in an understanding that is beyond the comprehension of the male characters. In many ways Shiva Baby silently guides us through the women’s intuition letting it speak for itself amid the dramatic and fast-paced nature of the film.