The Shrouds (2025) - Film Review

      The Shrouds, 2025.

      Written and Directed by David Cronenberg.

      Featuring Vincent Cassel, Diane Kruger, Guy Pearce, Sandrine Holt, Elizabeth Saunders, Jennifer Dale, Steve Switzman, Ingvar E. Sigurðsson, Jeff Yung, Eric Weinthal, Matt Willis, Al Sapienza, and Vieslav Krystyan.

      SYNOPSIS:

      Karsh, a cutting-edge entrepreneur and mourning widower, invents a device intended to connect with the deceased through a burial shroud.

      Set in a world growing increasingly unstable and dependent on technology, where unethical companies are beginning to capitalize on grief (such as those distressing advertisements promising to upload a loved one's likeness and voice for eternal comfort), David Cronenberg’s The Shrouds explores a technological entrepreneur’s graveyard equipped with digital screens on tombstones, driven by high-resolution cameras buried below and synced to a user's app, allowing them to voyeuristically witness the decaying remains of their loved ones. This eerie concept sets the stage for a thought-provoking exploration of contemporary grief and death.

      The Shrouds, however, veers into multiple directions, functioning as a tech-thriller infused with conspiracy theories that develop a kink among certain characters, while also delving into Karsh’s (portrayed by Vincent Cassel, who bears a resemblance to Cronenberg, reflecting the film's personal nature) relationship with his deceased wife Becca (Diane Kruger). This includes body-horror flashbacks illustrating the impact of the cancer-like disease that claimed her life, which also left her bones so fragile that she once shattered a hip while encouraging intimate closeness in bed.

      Becca’s dog-grooming identical twin sister, Terry, is also portrayed by Diane Kruger, which does not disturb Karsh’s mind as much as one might expect, given his vow to honor her wish to avoid any romantic involvement. More unsettling is Karsh’s AI assistant named Hunny, who not only resembles a younger Becca but is also voiced by Diane Kruger, prompting questions about the lengths someone may go to preserve the memory of a deceased loved one.

      Returning to the plot, one grave site is defaced, leading to much of The Shrouds focusing on Karsh recruiting his brother Maury (Guy Pearce), a computer hacker, to infiltrate the server he developed and uncover leads regarding the group responsible for the vandalism, whether it be environmental activists, general opponents to the high-tech gravestones, or political groups. It's notable that Maury was formerly in a relationship with Terry, until displaying alarming behavior pertinent to other narrative elements.

      Despite this, Maury is conscious of Terry and Becca’s likeness, harboring a slight paranoia that Karsh has become involved with her as a coping mechanism. Simultaneously, Karsh observes inexplicable growths on Becca’s decayed skeletal remains, leading him to ponder their origin and whether they are linked to her treatment. He is also pursuing the expansion of his graveyards in collaboration with the blind Soo-Min (Sandrine Holt), who is aware her husband could pass away at any moment. This brings forth discussions surrounding grief.

      The film’s numerous threads pull the viewer in varied directions every few minutes. Fortunately, Cronenberg excels in creating mesmerizing visuals, often paired with profoundly somber scenes. The depiction of Karsh and Becca's relationship is deeply moving yet nuanced. It resembles the experience of witnessing a partner's slow decline, through a visceral lens that highlights the most harrowing facets of the illness. When Karsh shares with a blind date that on the day Becca was buried, he wished he could have joined her in the grave, it establishes bizarre behavior (which escalates when he shows her the digital aspect of the graves) and amplifies the meeting to disastrous heights while simultaneously being intensely bittersweet.

      David Cronenberg intricately weaves together the film's central themes, often resulting in unsettling effects. However, aside from uncovering the identity of the graveyard vandal and revealing details about Becca’s past that hint at various conspiracies, these elements begin to drift away from the foundational inquiries of The Shrouds. While some revelations are gratifying and cleverly relate to more prominent, disturbing themes of the digital age, others detract from the mystery, feeling forced but potentially offering deeper significance upon a second viewing.

      Overall, the film presents a somewhat disjointed experience, yet the conclusion resonates as a logically coherent culmination of the themes explored. Even amidst narrative chaos, it retains that distinctive Cronenberg originality and daring, alongside a captivating essence, clearly articulating its intent.

      Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★

      Robert Kojder is part of the Chicago Film Critics Association, Critics Choice Association, and Online Film Critics Society. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. For new