David Cronenberg's latest film, The Shrouds, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, bringing a mix of gore, nudity, and dark humour. The body horror film follows widower Karsh (Vincent Cassel), who invents GraveTech, a technology allowing him to monitor his deceased wife's decaying body via interactive shrouds.
Diane Kruger plays Becca, Karsh's wife, appearing both as a living woman and a rotting corpse. She joked at the press conference, 'I thought it looked pretty good death,' and found watching her own corpse 'more fascinating than repulsive.' Cronenberg, 81, also makes a cameo as a corpse being removed from a grave.
Early reactions to the film are mixed, with some praising its 'dazzling ambition and deep emotion' while others, like Variety, call it 'verging on self-parody.' The film explores grief through a complex, intellectual lens, featuring a cemetery restaurant and encrypted app for viewing bodies.
Kruger, 47, noted she would have been 'completely frazzled' if she had taken the role a decade ago but thrived thanks to Cronenberg's trust. The film also stars Guy Pearce and includes graphic nudity and sex scenes.
