“The Shrouds” Veils Best Features

The Shrouds (David Cronenberg, 2025) 2½ out of 5 stars

One of the masters of macabre and shocking imagery, director David Cronenberg (Crimes of the Future) brings his newest feature to the screen, dabbling with the ideas of connecting with our loved ones after death, or at least, with their corpses. The Shrouds tells the story of Karsh (Vincent Cassel, Underwater) a successful owner of the tech company “GraveTech.” Karsh’s company utilizes video and scanning technology to view corpses in real time using devices called “Shrouds,” a concept inspired by the loss of his wife (Diane Kruger, In the Fade). But when the Shrouds are attacked by an unknown vandalist, Karsh must discover the culprit, all the while processing his complex emotions over losing his wife.

Cronenberg certainly maximizes his usual body-horror, delivering bizarre imagery of mutilation in intriguing and thematically sound ways. He also features some immense production design, homing in on advances in digital effects and integrating them with his classic grotesquerie. He also has fun weaving sexuality into the film’s other themes, all of which form great aesthetic appeal.

Nevertheless, Cronenberg’s film starts to fall apart when in many other places. For one, the film bounces among numerous ideas, introducing new characters at every turn without building any dynamic arcs with most supporting roles. The overall takeaway is underwhelming and doesn’t use the talents of Cassel, Kruger, or Guy Pearce (The Brutalist) to the fullest extent. On top of the this, the film also suffers from an inconsistent pacing and tone, detracting from an otherwise twisted and often complex premise.

As the movie approaches its conclusion, various final-act sequences try to put the pieces behind the mystery together, only to disappoint the viewer with dissatisfying moments. Karsh’s problems are solved—mostly—and the closing imagery leaves one last kiss from Cronenberg’s visual style. Yet by the time The Shrouds comes to its final act, much is left to be desired, and the viewer feels as if they have missed out on some fine opportunity to take the themes and ideas presented and take them to more captivating and impactful heights, longing to veer from the monotonous and dizzying plot that they just witnessed.

Adam Vaughn

Adam Vaughn is a graduate of the Film & Moving Image program at Stevenson University, with a focus in Cinematography and Production. He also has a minor in Theater and Media Performance. Adam works as a freelance photographer and videographer, focusing his craft on creating compelling photographic and cinematic imagery. Adam is excited to join the Film Festival Today team and explore the world of cinema and visual arts.