Glad that Cronenberg is still making films š»
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums ā The Shrouds
Melton1 ā 1 month ago(February 03, 2026 11:20 PM)
Glad that Cronenberg is still making films
I preferred this one to his previous effort Crimes Of The Future, which felt like he was leaning into his old body horror tropes and didnāt offer a compelling central character or plot.
This one has a great protagonist, superbly played by Vincent Cassel (this marks their third collaboration), heās a grieving tech millionaire who has invented āshroudsā that allow you to see your dead loved oneās body decay, which he uses as a āgrief strategyā.
That side of the film is freaky and compelling. What doesnāt work as well is the conspiracy stuff. I guess itās there to show how his grief is driving him crazy but his paranoia also seems justified. It eats a lot of screen time and I canāt help thinking Crony should have limited himself to his usual 90 minutes and stayed focused on the protagonistās inner life.
A subplot involving his dead wifeās twin sister is more interesting, but again it detracts from the more personal and universal portrait of grief which is the strength of the film. Which makes sense because Cronenberg lost his wife a few years ago, and I doubt she had a twin sister nor was China and/or Russia involved in her death.
Thereās enough good stuff here - Cassel, Diane Kruger and Guy Pierce are all great, the film looks amazing with Cronyās usual bulging 17mm close-ups and hard lighting giving a 3D feeling, and Howard Shoreās score is appropriately dreamy. For the most part Cronenberg draws you into his perverse world, but you have to be patient with it.
Iām glad heās still making films, this is definitely a work of integrity from one of our greatest living filmmakers, but I suspect only devoted fans will enjoy this weird and austere entry. Iām still chewing on its mysterious and atmospheric ending which is a good signā¦ -
preachcaleb ā 1 month ago(February 25, 2026 09:14 PM)
I did enjoy it much more than Crimes of the Future as well. I was a little disappointed to see that Viggo Mortensen was not a part of the cast, as I feel he's been the best part of Cronenberg's late-stage movies, but Cassel, as alwasy, was fantastic.
I liked the themes of grief, but like you, I think a little more focus on one or two specific themes would've played a bit better. My favorite would have to be the idea of weaponizing technology. It's such a relevant topic that I really wanted to see it explored further.
But overall, I do think it's his best movie in a long time. Probably since Eastern Promises.
So many stories, so little time. -
preachcaleb ā 1 month ago(February 26, 2026 02:16 PM)
Oh, how interesting. I did not know that. Perhaps a series would've worked better at juggling all those plot threads. Which reminds me, I should check out that Dead Ringers TV show too.
So many stories, so little time.