Director David Cronenberg is renowned for his films that delve into the transformation of the human body, often in a graphic and unsettling manner. His latest film, The Shrouds, continues this theme with a somber exploration of death, grief, and their intersection with modern technology, while also allowing the filmmaker to get more personal.

The film is set in a “deceptively placid near-future” and revolves around Karsh (Vincent Kassel), a tech entrepreneur who utilizes new software to observe his deceased wife (Diane Kruger) decompose in real-time. As he prepares to launch this Shroud technology more widely, all the graves currently using it are vandalized. Karsh then finds himself racing to uncover the truth and is uncertain about who to trust, including his wife’s sister, who he has started a romantic relationship with and is also played by Kruger.

Cronenberg wrote The Shrouds after the passing of his wife Carolyn in 2017, which adds depth to moments in the trailer, such as Karsh’s opening line about wanting to join his late wife in the coffin. The film’s logline describes it as a “profoundly personal reckoning with grief and a descent into noir-tinged dystopia,” which is evident in the preview, along with a touch of comedy. Cronenberg screened the film at Cannes 2024, where it received positive reviews from critics.

Also starring Guy Pearce and Sandrine Holt, The Shrouds will have its premiere on April 18 in New York and LA, ahead of its wider theatrical release on April 25.

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