After a whirlwind of sex and psychotic ramblings about Russian spies, the Chinese government, and murder- Karsh and Soo-Min depart on a trip to Budapest together to begin work on the new GraveTech site. Before boarding, Soo-Min explains that they will make a short layover for fuel in the mysterious and much talked about Iceland, which surely means Karsh is marked for death. On the plane, he dreams of Soo-Min in Becca’s body, and they embrace while romanticizing about the side-by-side burial plots they will share together in Budapest.

As a summation of the plot up to this point, I don’t find it particularly strong, but as a final image for Karsh it feels right. When you’re young and you fall in love with someone you hope to spend your life with, the idea that one of you will outlive the other is something you can’t even entertain. But now, as a widower who has squeezed every last ounce of sorrow from the death of his soul mate, any new relationship will come with the understanding that death is what waits for them. It’s not how we picture entering a new relationship, but it’s the new reality and there’s no sense (no choice!) in ignoring it. Even if he only has a few hours left to live, this romance with Soo-Min will always carry the shadow of death with it, and as they sail off into the sunset, he chooses to embrace death (I think).

Shrouds 1 scaled 1 — Pyramide Distribution / Sphere Films

The Shrouds is secretly (deliberately) funny, but what really makes me laugh, is that I feel like this obsession with obsession has been passed on to me. I’ve spent more time thinking about this dang movie than I ever would have imagined and, frankly, I don’t think I can make total sense of it all yet. The finale is truly bewildering, casting so many ideas and assumptions that I’d build up into immediate doubt. The conspiracy snowballed me up with it and I still haven’t found my way back out!

Trying to make heads or tails of the overlapping conspiracies in The Shrouds is about as easy as trying to make sense of your weird uncle’s Facebook Posts. It’s undeniable that this is a deeply personal exploration for David Cronenberg, having made the film in the wake of his own wife’s death, though the catharsis you’re looking for might only exist for him alone. But, looking for meaning and coming up short pretty much sums up how we all experience grief.

“It’s undeniable that this is a deeply personal exploration for David Cronenberg”

David Cronenberg’s The Shrouds is playing in theatres right now! Go see it! And afterward, share your own thoughts with us over in the Nightmare on Film Street Discord! We’d love to hear what you thought about this wild ‘n’ weird body horror flick.