David Cronenberg returns to Cannes two years after Future Crimes with a new, more personal film. Even if the Canadian filmmaker is still fascinated by the transformation of bodies, new technologies and questions about the future, he turned to an intimate thriller for his new feature Les Linceuls, presented in competition at the 77th Cannes Film Festival.
Starring Vincent Cassel and Diane Kruger, Les Shrouds tells the story of a famous businessman in his fifties. Inconsolable after the death of his wife Becca, he invents a revolutionary and controversial system, GraveTech, which allows the living to connect with their loved ones in their shrouds. One night several graves, including his wife’s, are vandalized. After that, he goes to the door to look for the culprits.
If the film combines new technologies, transformations and body surveillance and conspiracy, it serves above all as a great declaration of love from David Cronenberg for his wife Caroline Cronenberg’s son Caroline Zeifman, a documentary director and editor, who died of an illness in 2017.
David Cronenberg’s First Thoughts on ‘The Shrouds’
The Shrouds is a cathartic experience for David Cronenberg, conveying a moving experience of the Way of the Cross that mourns and all the dark stages and thoughts that traverse the soul when a loved one is gone.
So what did festival-goers at Cannes think of this more intimate and personal proposal from David Cronenberg? Here’s a selection of the first mixed reviews on Les Linceuls (The Shroud, Original Version).
“deeply moving”
“David Cronenberg’s #TheShrouds is a deeply personal look at loss that finds plenty of time in the horror, but never loses sight of the fact that this is a film about grief.
“#TheShrouds Review: Emotional, disturbing and deeply moving. A haunting exploration of grief with tension. Impactful cinematography. An experience that truly makes you feel happy. This isn’t just another horror film, it’s ‘The Best David’. A Cronenberg film of all time. A beautiful ending # the skin”
“such waste”
“Shroud,” which just premiered at Cannes, is David Cronenberg at his most personal.
“‘Coverups’ Review: Body Horror Master David Cronenberg Loses Plot in Conspiracy Theories.”
The Shroud is the kind of grief story only David Cronenberg would think of making: sardonic, unsentimental, and often so stiff and cadaverous that the film itself suffers from stiffness.
David Cronenberg’s film “Shroud” will be released in theaters on September 25, 2024.
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
