Time: 120 Minutes
Age Rating: R16– Violence, offensive language, sexual material & content that may disturb
Cast:
Vincent Cassel as Karsh
Diane Kruger as Becca / Terry / Hunny
Guy Pearce as Maury
Sandrine Holt as Soo-Min Szabo
Director: David Cronenberg

I’m a big fan of David Cronenberg. I loved his return to directing with 2022’s Crimes of the Future, and naturally I was looking forward to seeing what he would be doing next with The Shrouds. It did receive some rather divided reactions, but it really worked for me.

The Shrouds is one of Cronenberg’s more ambitious films, it is juggling a lot in this one movie. Plotwise, it’s a sci-fi conspiracy thriller, but is also a portrayal of the future, technology and human relationships, and most of all is a drama about grieving. One aspect I knew going in was that it was a very personal movie about David Cronenberg grieving his dead wife and that certainly shines through in the film, with a lot about grappling with grief and death. I was pretty much invested from beginning to end with where he decided to take the story. As for the central corporate conspiracy plotline, it wasn’t the most interesting part of the movie, but I didn’t mind it. The Shrouds feels very uncanny throughout in the typical Cronenberg way, especially with the bizarre and odd dialogue. It is dryly funny, darkly comical, and leans into the absurdum, even more so than Crimes of the Future. At 2 hours in length, The Shrouds is Cronenberg’s longest movie yet and admittedly you do feel it in parts, and does meander at times.

The acting works quite well, even the stilted and awkward performances fit the vibe and tone of the movie. Vincent Cassel is great in the lead role, working even better when you’re aware that he’s effectively playing a stand-in for David Cronenberg. Diane Kruger, Guy Pearce and Sandrine Holt also stand out in their supporting roles.

David Cronenberg’s direction is really strong. It’s a really stylish and well put together movie, with stunning visuals, good visual effects, and accompanied by a fittingly moody score from Howard Shore.

The Shrouds is an existential, somber, melancholic, and darkly comic meditation on grief, well directed and with strong performances.