“How dark are you willing to go?” The question posed by Karsh Relikh (Vincent Cassel) inThe Shroudsepitomizes the content ofDavid Cronenberg’s newest film. From the start of his career, Cronenberg has provided audiences with personal journeys amidst a backdrop of societal commentary that reflects the world in which we live.The Shroudssees Cronenberg tackling primal human emotions such as grief and obsession in a world rife with the over-dependence on technology. Cronenberg lifts the veil, as it were, on the voyeuristic aspects of technological surveillance and humanity’s need to have dominion over every aspect of existence.
Beyond the Realms of Death
Death is the one finality that unites the human experience as a whole. The fascination and curiosity of the subject are present in every culture with their own rites and rituals pertaining to the final curtain. Karsh Relikh is a widower who has his own ritual that coincides with grief, commemoration, and maintaining a relationship that lasts far beyond the grave. Karsh heads a company called Gravetech. In an age where there’s quite literally an app for everything, the act of maintaining vigil over a dearly departed has one, too.
Bodies are buried in shrouds with technology that allows mourners to view the bodies of the recently departed as they enter the various stages of decomposition. Karsh, mourning the loss of his wife Becca (Diane Kruger), obsessively maintains a vigil over her remains as they slowly deteriorate. Karsh’sobsession becomes self-destructive. The film’s opening sequence, in which he views Becca’s remains in a dream, only to wake up in a dentist’s chair with the news that the grief is rotting his teeth, establishes the self-destructive obsession that will be central to his character. This is the moment we discover the rabbit hole that we explore with Karsh.
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Cronenbergaddresses various topicsinThe Shrouds. Through Karsh, we’re taken on a journey of grief and obsession that incorporates a taboo voyeuristic element. Burial shrouds have been used by many cultures for anonymity and privacy, allowing the dead to have a quiet burial that helps maintain dignity. What normally exists as a hidden part of human existence ultimately becomes an invasion of privacy.
The shrouds built by Karsh’s company reflect humanity’s need to have power over every aspect of its existence – even death. The voyeuristic side will ring true to modern audiences, who are all too aware of data breaches in an age where we’re overly reliant on technology. Cronenberg bridges a gap between the old and new. The oldest mysteries and fascinations with death are merged with modern technological innovation, something Cronenberg has been exploring since the earliest days of his career.
Conspiracies, Voyeurism, and Technology
In an age where information is more accessible than ever,The Shroudsis a grim reminder that thisinnovation comes at a price. The shrouds made by Karsh’s company resemble the road to Hell; they’re made with good intentions. However, innovation made for the benefit of humankind sometimes becomes something of a double-edged sword.Cronenberg highlights the downsides of technology: the ease of surveillance, our dependence upon it for our daily lives, and the chance for it to be weaponized by those who would misuse it.
The voyeuristic aspects of technology inThe Shroudscan be found almost everywhere — most notably in the perverse ways Karsh goes from being a watcher to being watched and tracked. Small details within the film, such as a fish tank in Karsh’s apartment, encapsulate the feelings of being watched in a self-contained environment. Data breaches that eliminate Karsh’s privacy will be recognizable to viewers, with social media platforms constantly mining data and compromising our security.
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Karsh’s obsession with Becca’s passing causes him and her sister, Terry (also portrayed by Diane Kruger), to dig deeper. What they uncover are data breaches and several conspiracies related to both Becca’s death and the events that pertain to Karsh’s company itself. Karsh and Terry discuss the mysterious cancer treatments Becca underwent before her passing, which invokes a major plot point in the film and provides commentary on recent events on the world stage.
Karsh refers toStalin’s Doctors' Plot, in which many prominent Jewish physicians were executed during the dictator’s reign, which begins the conspiracy about Becca’s cancer treatments performed by a doctor who was also a former lover. This, juxtaposed with the alleged conspiracy of outside forces from Russia and China weaponizing Karsh’s shrouds for militaristic uses, not-so-subtly links to the cyberattacks undertaken by the Russian government in recent years.
Where Can I Watch ‘The Shrouds’?
The Shroudssees David Cronenberg weave together themes of technology and society, and how they impact our daily lives and geopolitics. The highly personal journey the audience undertakes with Karsh illustrates how all of these factors are intertwined. Like death itself, the commentary inThe Shroudsis universal and involves the whole of humanity.
The Shroudsis currently available on The Criterion Channel.
The Shrouds
