The Shrouds (2024) Review

The new David Cronenberg feature, The Shrouds, screened at the Overlook Film Festival in New Orleans this year. I was able to grab a seat at the Sunday afternoon showing which felt very apt for the mellow mood of the film.

With a wide release on April 18th, be prepared for the subtle and quiet weirdness that Cronenberg has honed in his recent releases like Crimes of the Future. The Shrouds is equal parts psychological thriller and body horror, presented very stylistically with a plot that unravels unhurriedly.

The story focuses on the grief of creative director turned death innovator Karsh, played by Vincent Cassel. Karsh has developed a “shroud” system to capture every intimate detail of decay for those who, like himself, find more comfort confronting their loss by immersing themselves in it. After the vandalism of his inaugural high-tech gravesite and the discovery of strange growths on his deceased wife’s skeleton, he is pulled into a rabbit hole of intrigue and anguish.

At times, the film looked and felt like a commercial for Saint Laurent, a producer of the film, and Tesla. These segments made the film feel cheap and can take audiences out of the story. Given Cronenberg’s past dialogues about technology, I would say Karsh’s dependence on AI was satirical, but then I was met with an entire scene that showcased Tesla’s self-driving feature. I would have rather seen the budget go toward more practical effects than see the shots of a multi-million dollar apartment and what can amount to a Tesla commercial.

This extravagant background to Karsh’s grief plays a part in making his story unrelatable and somewhat cold. Karsh also comes off as quite selfish. He uses people, eventually replacing some with technology, to accomplish his own goals. It was rare to see him put others’ needs before his own, making him less likable as the story goes on. Even in the vivid flashbacks to his wife deteriorating, she is always nude, coming or going from their bed, and talking about the parts of her that he liked the most.

Within his grief, I picked up on the theme of possessing a woman’s body even in death. Karsh is infuriated by the fact that his wife had a previous relationship with her doctor, never mind the fact that he likely groomed her. Despite his wife being the one who suffered and passed, the story focuses on Karsh’s pain, which, oddly, reflects real-life loss. We are left to deal with the pain after sickness, addiction, or fate has won. The film culminates with Karsh bitterly accepting the fact that his wife’s body lies with another. I wasn’t sure if this sentiment was supposed to be romantic or make me feel uncomfortable, but I lean toward the latter.

Grief is confusing, dark, and sometimes absurd. It drives us to self-destruct and reinvent ourselves. All of which are ideas that Cronenberg has mastered in his lengthy career. I think The Shrouds does a fantastic job of guiding the audience through the nuances of grief in a uniquely Cronenberg way and, as uncomfortable as some parts may be, is a fascinating take on the topic.

Movie Rating:

The Shrouds trailer

Horror trailers