Studio: Criterion
Release Date: 10/21/2025
Rating: R
Film Grade: B-
The Story: Internment meets advanced technology. That’s the premise for Karsh Relikh’s company, GraveTech. Inspired by his desire to continue bonding with his deceased wife, Karsh has worked with a Chinese company in developing sophisticated electronic burial shrouds that continuously monitor and display corpses as they slowly decompose (soon to be in 8K!). His company has found significant backing from the rich and elite who use this voyeuristic app to stay close with their loved ones even in death.
But even as the business expands into new global territories an unexpected event threatens everything.
My Take: This may be David Cronenberg’s most personal work. Not only was it inspired by his own grief following his wife’s death, Karsh bears more than a passing resemblance to the writer/director. Both are filmmakers, atheists, with wives that struggled and suffered with cancer before dying, and there’s even a strong physical resemblance between the director and chosen actor Vincent Cassel. But by making the story that personal, it may not be as effective for the audience as it is for the creator.
Most of the hallmarks of Cronenberg’s earlier works abound: body horror in the form the ravenous nature of cancer, heavy doses of sex and nudity, and intelligent and thoughtful dialog. Missing is the typical violence, which is practically absent. One might expect a dour, morose film, given the subject matter but it never fully descends into pathos or depression.
Instead, he’s crafted a quiet thriller in the first and second acts. The setup is certainly bizarre – who actually wants to watch their beloved family or lover rot on their phones app until there’s nothing left but bone? But given the weird idiosyncrasies of the rich and famous, one could see it as a trendy status symbol to flaunt in front of the masses. The film doesn’t dwell on the emotional impact of this arrangement, instead using it as the springboard for a mystery/espionage/conspiracy tale. Hints and clues are scattered about as Karsh works his way through the winding story, trying to get to the bottom of what’s putting his burgeoning empire at risk.
Cassel is credible in this peculiar role. While his bizarre way of dealing with grief feels completely foreign, his take on the character presents a methodical businessman, still haunted by visions of his wife, confronted with challenges he would never have imagined. It’s through dealings with his dead wife’s sister (Diane Kruger, playing both sisters) and her ex-husband (Guy Pearce) that he slowly starts to believe that he may be part of a large conspiracy with geopolitical implications. Thrown into that mix are some interpersonal exchanges that don’t feel fully developed or explored, leading to some scenes that feel unearned, ultimately detracting from the larger story.
It's at the end of the second act when the movie fails to satisfy. There is no third act, no denouement. The movie simply ends at a point where all of the mystery and possible conspiracies are left wide open. Given how much time was spent building things up, adding new information, and dangling hints, it’s a huge disappointment.
The movie might have made up for that shortcoming by deeply exploring themes related to life, suffering, and death, but none of these are particularly well developed. The movie starts down this road at first, as when Karsh discusses his wife’s beliefs regarding her burial and his own atheism. Another part of the movie deals with AI, and it’s used in a particularly effective and creepy way, but that ends up being left hanging along with all of the other plot-related elements.
Visuals: The digital cinematography by Douglas Koch is fantastic; this is a gorgeous looking film with good use of contrasting light and shadow throughout. Colors are realistic and vibrant according to the scenes. Skin tones are natural and revealing. Even the decomposing corpses are shown in a respectful and almost artful, rather than a gory or exploitive way.
Several scenes feature someone viewing handheld footage on cell phones or tablets. While this is meant to draw the viewer into the movie, keeping the largely motionless hand constantly in frame makes it feel staged and unnatural. It was a rare moment where the movie calls attention to itself.
Audio: The disc has a simple 5.1 DTS MA mix, which is adequate for the film. Cronenberg once again collaborated with Howard Shore on the musical score. I found it to be fitting with the subject matter, typically slow and brooding, but not particularly noteworthy. Although I did find its introduction into specific scenes intrusive rather than an organic part of the film; leaving a feeling of, “oh, here comes the score,” instead of it gently adding to the atmosphere. It’s not used in a jump scare way, either, as there are none of those in this story. Dialog can be a tiny bit challenging, primarily due to Cassel’s French accent, with another difficult exchange happening during mid-copulation, giving that scene dual distracting elements.
Special Features: Cronenberg offers some insight on what went into the movie, but not much that one wouldn’t expect given the subject matter. I found his discussion of the shroud’s design interesting, adding a tinge of spirituality, even if that is absent in his own beliefs.
- Meet the Filmmakers: David Cronenberg, a Criterion Channel original interview
- Trailer
- Notes by critic Beatrice Loayza
Final Verdict: I was really looking forward to this movie since it was first announced, prepared for a depressing meditation on the finality of death and how people cope with it. While there are definitely elements of that here, especially with Karsh’s dreams and visions of his wife, the movie is a much more traditional mystery story. The thematic elements never hit home with me, but I’ll attribute that to our divergent views of life, death, love, and faith. It’s clear that he has created something that he feels deeply connected to, but it wasn’t something I could relate to.
I’ll recommended as a watch for any Cronenberg fan. As with all of his films, I’m glad to have seen it. He always presents ideas and situations that are far afield from typical Hollywood fare, and this one is no different. Had there been a resolution to the story, this would have been an easy addition to our library, but I don’t see much replay value here.
On-Brand Dialog: “Should I ask him if you want to keep those amputated body parts?”
My Review System:JVC DLA-RS3100 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
Elite Screens Sable Frame B2 117” Width with Infinitely Variable Height
Monolith by Monoprice HTP-1 16 Channel Processor with Dirac Live
Monolith by Monoprice 7x200 Watts Amp
Monolith by Monoprice 3x200 Watts + 6x100 Watts Amp
JBL Studio 590 for Left, Center, Right, Wides, and Rears
JBL Studio 580 for Side Surrounds
JBL Studio SCS 8 for Tops
JTR Captivator 1400 Subwoofer X 4
Panasonic DP-UB420 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
Oppo BDP-93
NVIDIA Shield Android TV - 4K
Xbox One X
HTPC Running madVR (work in progress)
Remote: URC MX-780
Mini DSP 2X4 HD controlling all subwoofers
APC S15 Power Conditioner with Battery Backup
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