Sundance Film Festival 2025 – Writer/director Daisy Friedman’s short film Unholy focuses on the discomfort of its protagonist, Noa (Olivia Nikkanen). What should be a festive Passover Seder with family proves tough for Noa. This is due to her gastrointestinal disorder that requires a feeding tube. Friedman’s film focuses on tradition, disability, and embodiment, all through Noa’s perspective, making for a moving film.

Noa faces several challenges. This includes pressure from her family, especially Grandma Rose (Roberta Pikser), who simply doesn’t understand why Noa can’t eat some of the traditional foods. In one harrowing scene, Grandma Rose looms over Noa’s shoulder, nearly forcing her to eat homemade broth. Yet, even this proves difficult for the protagonist. She simply can’t keep the food down, no matter how much her grandmother desires such. It puts her at odds with her family, though none of them mean Noa harm. They just struggle to understand her disability.

In another scene, family asks Noa to recite questions that are part of the Passover tradition. Just as she begins, her medical equipment starts beeping, disrupting the dinner. When she excuses herself from the table, Noa then panics, alone in the bathroom, to fix the feeding tube and the equipment. The sound design ramps up to amplify the beeping. It becomes disorienting, while underscoring Noa’s stress and isolation.

Friedman’s film works so well because it shows how everything we take for granted, including holidays and family gatherings, pose challenges for folks with disabilities. Noa faces a lot of temptations, including various foods that she used to enjoy. Beyond that, she struggles to partake in Jewish traditions that used to be routine.

Friedman, a multi-organ transplant recipient herself, continues to craft work that’s powerful and moving. Unholy has a few laughs, but it’s a dramatic story about a young woman’s disability. This short tells an important story from an underrepresented perspective. It’s emotional without being sentimental.