Spoilers would not be caught dead in this plot.

This is going to be dark, moody and slow. There’s definitely an audience and a mood for this kind of films, and I believe I occasionally fall into both categories. This is David Cronenberg, so expect some hint of body horror although this is mostly a drama about grief with certain dubious moral challenges. You could consider this also into the realm of science fiction, although it’s mostly about how the technology is used than the science itself.

(Credit: SBS International)

The Shrouds (2024) is written and directed by David Cronenberg. Karsh (Vincent Cassel) has built a new industry by offering burials where the deceased is wrapped in a special shroud that allows the family to see a live feed of the scanned corpse called “GraveTech”. This was inspired by the sickness and death of his wife Becca (Diane Kruger). Karsh remains in contact with Becca’s identical twin sister Terry (Diane Kruger), who always suspected the doctor treating her was up to something.

Karsh’s high tech cemetery is vandalized and all the shroud feeds are encrypted by a hacker group. He quickly enlists the help of one of the minds behind GraveTech invention, Maury (Guy Pearce) who is also Terry’s ex-husband. Maury also created an AI avatar called “Hunny” using Becca as a model exclusively for Karsh’s personal use. Karsh tries to keep the incident discreet as he’s trying to land a particularly big client from Iceland, but things get complicated as he becomes entangled with the potential customer’s wife Soo-Min (Sandrine Holt). To complicate things further, Hunny has let Karsh know that the hack originated from Iceland. The plot, pun intended, thickens.

It works in what it intends to do. This is a movie primarily about grief. There’s a hint of horror that comes mostly through realization and moral questioning. You could call it a mystery thriller, but it’s very slow paced and not in a hurry to move along. It is uncomfortable by design. There’s more nudity than gore and more questions than answers. Don’t expect the ending to wrap everything up with a bow.

Recommended with reservations. Mostly Cronenberg fans will go see it, but don’t expect horror in spades. This was mostly a personal project for the filmmaker, and it has its signature move of making you squirm with ideas and imagery that challenge the taboos and traditions of after life care and the deceased. Worth a watch, but only for a niche audience.

That will do for now.