What exactly goes on in the mind of David Cronenberg? He dissects, burns, and even mutilates the human body with clinical fascination—and often, erotic obsession.
In Crash, he famously explored sexual desire as it entwined with car wreck injuries. So where could he possibly go next? The answer: even deeper underground. In The Shrouds, Cronenberg turns his provocative gaze toward the dead—specifically, decaying corpses buried in their graves. As shocking as it sounds, his latest film dives headfirst into the intimate connection between grief, technology, and a haunting obsession with the body beyond death.
Influenced by the death of his wife back in 2017, Cronenberg’s The Shrouds stars Vincent Cassel as Karsh, a grieving widower who invents "GraveTech," a revolutionary system allowing the living – via some kind of digital burial shroud connected to tombstone video monitors – to observe the decomposition of their deceased loved ones through interactive 3D imagery on their cell phones. This macabre innovation stems from Karsh's inability to let go of his late wife, Becca (Diane Kruger), whose death from cancer left him emotionally shattered.
The mystery unfolds as Karsh's GraveTech cemetery becomes the target of a mysterious hacking attack, with several graves—including Becca's—vandalized. The investigation reveals a web of far out conspiracies involving encrypted networks, international espionage, and unsettling secrets about Becca's body. Meanwhile, Karsh's relationships with Becca's sister Terry (also played by Kruger) and his unhinged tech collaborator Maury (a disheveled Guy Pearce) spiral into chaos, blending eroticism, paranoia, and betrayal.
Cronenberg weaves his signature body horror with philosophical musings on mortality and love at the intersection of technology and humanity. As Karsh delves deeper into the mystery, the film blurs the lines between reality and obsession, culminating in a chilling, ambiguous conclusion. The Shrouds is a deeply personal and provocative meditation on loss, pushing the boundaries of cinematic storytelling.
On the positive side, Cronenberg’s film is layered with intrigue, as the vandalism of Karsh’s cemetery unravels a web of conspiracies that feel both timely and timeless. Kruger’s dual role as Becca and her sister Terry adds a fascinating dynamic, particularly as Karsh’s interactions with Terry blur the moral boundaries between love, memory, and obsession. Pearce’s portrayal of Maury, the volatile tech collaborator, injects a dark and disturbing energy that heightens the film’s tension and unpredictability.
Cronenberg’s direction is as provocative as ever, as he uses his macabre premise to delve into themes of love, loss, and the ethical implications of technological innovation. The film’s visual style from DP Douglas Koch is stark and unsettling, with the GraveTech imagery serving as an unnerving reminder of life’s fragility. While the narrative occasionally veers into convoluted territory, the ambiguity feels intentional, leaving us to grapple with our own interpretations of the film’s eerie conclusion.
We know what to expect with a Cronenberg film. He’s behind some of my favorites: The Fly; Dead Ringers; and Crash – unquestionably strange beasts in and of themselves for sure, but interesting and thought provoking nonetheless. But here with The Shrouds he takes his warped themes a bit too far. We are asked to believe that there is a lucrative industry in the grief of those who would pay to watch the decomposition of their loved one’s bodies. That’s a stretch and I’m not buying it… especially two full hours of it.
The Shrouds may not be Cronenberg’s most accessible work, but it is undeniably thought-provoking. Its blend of eroticism, paranoia, and existential dread pushes the boundaries of cinematic storytelling, offering a flawed yet deeply resonant meditation on the complexities of grief and the lengths we go to preserve what we’ve lost.
MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime: 120 mins
Director: David Cronenberg
Writer: David Cronenberg
Cast: Vincent Cassel; Diane Kruger; Guy Pearce
Genre: Body Horror | Sci-fi
Tagline:
Memorable Movie Quote: "When they lowered my wife into the coffin, I had this intense urge to get into the box with her."
Distributor: Janus Films
Official Site:
Release Date: April 25, 2025
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: Karsh, an innovative businessman and grieving widower, builds a device to connect with the dead inside a burial shroud.
