David Cronenberg Reflects on Grief and Art in His Latest Film, The Shrouds

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In David Cronenberg‘s new movie, The Shrouds, a character suggests that someone has built their life around dealing with physical forms, which might just be a subtle nod to Cronenberg himself and his long-standing fascination with the human body in his films.

For more than half a century, films by the 82-year-old veteran have been instrumental in popularizing the term ‘body horror’. Movies such as The Brood, The Fly, and Naked Lunch are examples of this genre. However, the brief reference in The Shrouds was not intended to be a subtle acknowledgment of his own gory filmography.

Essentially, when it comes to cinema, we primarily focus on capturing images of the human body. After all, it’s the most frequently filmed subject. Landscapes come second, but if you’re not producing a documentary about a specific location, then you’re essentially still focusing on people. The human body is your main subject in filmmaking.

Indeed, you’re correct. Few directors have explored the human body quite like Cronenberg. For instance, consider the transformation of Jeff Goldblum’s character, a scientist, into the film’s namesake insect in “The Fly,” as an illustration of his unique approach.

In The Shrouds, Vincent Cassel portrays Karsh, a man who owns an extraordinary high-tech cemetery located in Toronto. This cemetery has video cameras installed inside the coffins, enabling mourners to observe the natural process of decomposition of their deceased loved ones live. Interestingly, Karsh himself had this technology used for his late wife Becca, who passed away several years prior due to cancer.

The storyline of The Shrouds encompasses far more than just mourning, as evidenced by its intricate conspiracy narrative involving Russian hackers and the like. This aspect, in particular, served as the catalyst for the concept.

In 2017, David Cronenberg’s wife Carolyn lost her life to cancer after 43 years together. Overwhelmed by his grief, he shared that he yearned to be with her even in death. He expressed this desire by saying “I wanted to get into the coffin with this dead body.” As a means of dealing with his intense emotions, he started writing The Shrouds.

He says, “No, it didn’t provide relief or release. The pain is still very real.” In other words, he doesn’t consider his art as a form of therapy or relief, but rather as a means to understand and process his feelings about the situation.

It’s important to realize that once you begin crafting a script, it transitions from personal experiences with you and your spouse, into a narrative about fictitious characters. That’s the aim, after all.

Even though he’s advanced in years, it’s evident that the topic of mortality continues to intrigue Cronenberg. In the year 2021, his daughter Caitlin took on the role of director for him in the dreamlike one-minute short film titled The Demise of David Cronenberg.

Facing his own simulated body, he gently stroked it. This concept emerged from his experience in the Canadian TV show Slasher, where a realistic prop-body was created for him as part of the storyline, which he was allowed to handle by the special effects team.

I had an unusual situation where a life-like dummy was delivered to my home. To avoid drawing attention from the neighbors, it was concealed in trash bags as it was being brought inside. The sight of what appeared to be my body being transported into my house was quite realistic.

In a different phrasing: Although he claims the short movie didn’t directly connect to The Shrouds initially, it can easily be viewed as one of his most intimate works. This is particularly evident since Diane Kruger portrays both Becca (in flashbacks) and her sister Terry, who develops a relationship with Karsh, reminiscent of the 1988 film Dead Ringers, where Jeremy Irons played twin characters.

Although some people might think the characters portrayed by Kruger were identical twins, director Cronenberg clarifies that he saw them as sisters who looked alike. Interestingly, Cronenberg is no stranger to the concept of identical twins, as he has several in his own family. He finds it both eerie and fascinating.

Karsh’s macabre inventions may remind you of the prophetic themes found in Cronenberg’s earlier films, such as the destructive influence of television in Videodrome or the hypnotic allure of video games in eXistenZ. However, according to him, this was never his intention.

In terms of my work, it’s important to clarify that unlike some people might think, I don’t create art with the intention of predicting the future. Instead, my focus is on exploring and understanding the human experience as it exists in the present moment. If any predictions seem to align with reality in works like Videodrome and eXistenZ, it’s purely coincidental.

In any event, The Shrouds appears to be a substantial element in Cronenberg’s third act. Following his wife’s demise, which occurred three years after his 2014 film Maps to the Stars, there was a period where it seemed as though that might be the final movie of his career.

I had started to lose interest in continuing my work. Losing my wife left me questioning whether I still had the emotional strength for it. Adding to that challenge was the COVID-19 pandemic, which made filmmaking even more complicated. However, I decided to try acting again as a way to reconnect with being on a movie set and to experience firsthand how difficult it is to produce a film during these times.

Through appearances on Star Trek: Discovery and the series Slasher, he discovered a renewed possibility of returning to work, not just professionally but also emotionally. He admitted, “At last, I felt I still have the desire to carry on. I needed to acknowledge that within myself before I could embark on making another film.

In the year 2022, he made his comeback to the camera in the movie “Crimes of the Future”. Here, Viggo Mortensen portrayed an underground artist, living in a society where pain has significantly diminished and high-tech body modifications are extremely popular trends.

Initially, Cronenberg envisioned The Shrouds as a television production rather than a traditional movie. He was intrigued by streaming platforms and felt that this medium would offer a unique kind of filmmaking experience. In his words, “I thought, ‘This is different from cinema, it’s streaming.’ It would be like creating a ten-hour movie. It’s not just a film, it’s something else.

In the past, adapting novels such as William Burroughs’ Naked Lunch and JG Ballard’s Crash left him with the impression that “movies are more akin to novellas or short stories,” he explains. However, he believes that a TV series could emulate the experience of reading a novel.

The original concept was to have each episode explore various burial customs globally, set in distinct countries. I went ahead and proposed “The Shrouds” as a potential streaming series for Netflix, and we managed to create two episodes before they opted out. However, I was so fond of the material that I chose to transform it into a movie instead, much like David Lynch did with Mulholland Drive after his pilot was rejected.

Cronenberg conversed with Steven Zaillian and Alfonso Cuarón regarding their latest endeavors in streaming platforms, specifically directing the miniseries ‘Ripley’ and ‘Disclosure’ respectively.

Despite this, Cronenberg continues to ponder over a new project – a film adaption of his single novel to date, “Consumed” published in 2014. This narrative follows a photojournalist duo embarking on worldwide travels in search of unconventional topics.

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However, what does Cronenberg envision for the future of cinema? In The Shrouds, Karsh interacts with an AI character resembling his deceased wife, voiced by Kruger once more. Given the widespread interest in artificial intelligence both globally and within the film industry, is he concerned about the rise of advanced machines?

I’m not concerned about it; rather, it piques my curiosity. In truth, in the movie industry, we’ve been employing AI for quite some time now at different levels of complexity. To me, it’s simply another tool in the filmmaker’s arsenal. I use it when necessary, and I’ve utilized it frequently to fine-tune aspects within a frame and on moving faces.

It requires attention, control, and dialogue, without a doubt. This is crucial given its potential impact on the movie industry, which could be detrimental in certain aspects. The issue of copyright becomes significant when it comes to AI, considering the use of content from the vast internet.

As a dedicated cinephile, it’s no secret that Cronenberg’s curiosity lies in the progress of AI, much like his fascination with other technological advancements. “Its imperfections are already evident,” he shares, “Whether these will be rectified or not remains to be seen.” In my daily life, I frequently utilize ChatGPT, not for scriptwriting purposes, but as a tool to gather information.

Each new technology development often carries an inherent risk or negative aspect… I view technology as something deeply tied to humanity, possessing both its beneficial qualities and potentially harmful ones. This duality is something that persists over time.

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2025-07-04 10:35