Dave Deprave, as Martin Scorsese nicknamed him, suggested that his movie ‘The Shrouds,’ which he made for a competition, might be his final one. He made this movie because he was sad about losing his wife.
In David Cronenberg’s movies, he often shows how our bodies can have problems. Sometimes, things from outside, like sicknesses or technology, can change us. Sometimes, it’s things inside us, like our thoughts or desires. Cronenberg’s new movie, ‘The Shrouds,’ is about death. It premieres at the Cannes Film Festival on May 20th. Vincent Cassel plays Karsh’s main character, who is sad because his wife died. He makes a particular machine to watch her body break down after she dies. Cronenberg got the idea for this movie from his sadness when his wife died in 2017.
Cronenberg has shown many movies at Cannes, and they always cause a stir. Even though some people walked out of his first movie there, ‘Crash,’ it won an award. His films have influenced other filmmakers, like Julia Ducournau, who won a big prize at Cannes last year. Cronenberg thinks Cannes is important because it brings attention to his films.
In ‘The Shrouds,’ Karsh’s main character is grieving for his wife. He makes a machine to watch her body decompose. Did this idea come to Cronenberg quickly or over time? Cronenberg says some of the things in the movie are based on his feelings when his wife died. He wanted to be with her even after she was buried. He thinks this feeling sparked the idea for the movie.
Cronenberg’s movies often show bodies changing in strange ways. In ‘The Shrouds,’ the main character’s wife has an illness that causes her to lose parts of her body, but she still feels desire. Cronenberg says this is about how love and attraction can change when our bodies change. It’s not about fantasy but about real emotions.
Cronenberg has been to Cannes many times. He says it’s exciting but also scary. He remembers seeing another filmmaker crawling up the stairs because they were so steep. He jokes that he might do the same when he’s older. He likes the attention his movies get at Cannes, but he’s also shy.
Cronenberg’s retirement plans have changed a few times. He says filmmaking is hard, and sometimes he thinks about doing something else. But he’s still determining if he’ll make another movie. He takes each day as it comes.