As a devoted admirer of David Cronenberg‘s work, I find myself captivated by his latest creation, “The Shrouds.” It is no secret that Mr. Cronenberg has always had an uncanny ability to blend the macabre with the absurd, and this film is no exception. The story’s premise of a high-tech shroud allowing grieving individuals to observe their loved ones’ decomposition might seem morbid at first glance, but it is precisely this dark humor that makes “The Shrouds” so intriguingly unique.
For years, I’ve been crafting films that push boundaries and make viewers squirm, and my latest masterpiece, “Crimes of the Future,” might not have received the response I was hoping for during its Cannes Film Festival debut. Following the U.S. premiere, I had a chance to speak at an event where I expressed my viewpoint that perhaps the Cannes audience “missed the humor in the face of sorrow.
In a somewhat grimly amusing narrative, the tale revolves around a prosperous entrepreneur inventing a technology known as GraveTech. This innovation takes shape as a shroud, granting individuals in mourning the ability to observe the natural decay of their deceased loved ones through video connections. Although this concept might be hard to swallow, the plot delves into the journey of the inventor, who uncovers that his wife’s grave, along with several others, has been vandalized. He embarks on a quest to identify and bring justice to the perpetrator.
In Cronenberg’s perspective, finding humor in death is perfectly acceptable and he found that the Cannes audience might have struggled with this – a sentiment he didn’t anticipate to be an issue during his Q&A session at the New York Film Festival. As he put it:
“The audience didn’t seem to understand the film, possibly due to linguistic and cultural nuances, or maybe because they felt uncomfortable laughing, fearing it might be disrespectful. The high expectations of the Cannes Film Festival might have played a role in this. I expected more laughter at screenings like Toronto Film Festival or even here. I wasn’t present during the screening, but I hope you managed to find some humor in it. A life without laughter is something I wouldn’t want to endure.
David Cronenberg Doesn’t Believe Dark Movies Need to Avoid Laughter
It’s challenging to argue against the truth that David Cronenberg created many unsettling films during the 1980s. However, there’s an underlying thread of dark comedy woven throughout his works. This explains why The Shrouds, too, subtly infuses a touch of levity into its grim themes. For Cronenberg, this element is essential in the filmmaking process, as he himself elaborated on.
For me, movies are like kids playing in a sandbox – they can be quite significant due to financial concerns or tight deadlines. It’s interesting to learn that an Ingmar Bergman set was reportedly full of laughter and jokes. Given this, it seems plausible that the intense focus is channeled into the filmmaking process itself.
Regarding “The Shrouds”, it appears that Director Cronenberg achieved the desired response from the U.S. premiere audience, as event moderator and festival artistic director Dennis Lim remarked that laughter was frequent and spontaneous during the screening. Despite a Tomatometer score of 71% on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s worth noting that since its debut at Cannes, the film has garnered only positive reviews from screenings at the Toronto Film Festival in September, and now the New York Film Festival. Audience opinions will be gathered when “The Shrouds” is set to be released early in 2025.
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2024-10-10 03:01