Above: Paul Kariouk, Meagan Jesmer, Adam Paquette, Chris Davis (brought along in photographic form), John Stelluto, and Monica Leite attempt to cope with Cronenberg’s artful approach to horror. The film was screened at the ByTowne Cinema in Ottawa. Chris Davis is currently overseeing projects in Los Angeles and unfortunately couldn’t attend the film with us. We didn’t want to leave him out of the event, so we brought him along photographically.
Kariouk Architects’ Forest Retreat home recently made its silver screen debut, featured prominently in David Cronenberg’s latest film, “The Shrouds”. The structure served as the site of a technologically augmented graveyard and accompanying restaurant — and appeared numerous times throughout the film, including at the opening. In what is arguably cinema’s most grimly comedic “awkward first date” scene, the film’s main character, Karsh, a tech entrepreneur and widower of four years, has brought a blind date to the graveyard/restaurant and offers to log in and show her the decaying body of his beloved wife. As he says at one point, “How dark do you want to go?”
For the production, Cronenberg’s team modified the Forest Retreat’s interiors with artistically framed examples of the eponymous burial shrouds — which, in the film, are haptic suits wrapped around bodies of loved ones so that the bereaved can watch them decay in their graves via an app. A fitting addition for a film centered on grief, technology, and mortality, these installations were created specifically for the movie and (we’re relieved to say) were not part of the original interior design.
All kidding aside, if we say so ourselves, the Forest Retreat’s clean lines, natural materials, and serene setting added to the atmospheric beginning in a way that amplified the shocking effect of the film’s later scenes, in the same way that grief itself can be shocking. Western cultures tend to treat death and dying as subjects to be shunned unless they become unavoidable. We applaud Cronenberg’s willingness to ask difficult questions about the grim realities of terminal illness and death and our heedless embrace of any and all technology.
Right: John Stelluto, Adam Paquette, Chris Davis (represented as a photo), and Paul Kariouk.
Seeing the Forest Retreat transformed through the lens of one of Canada’s most audacious filmmakers was a proud moment — and, we feel, a testament to the building’s powerful, emotive design. Despite Cronenberg’s well-known penchant for graphic body horror, the team found the experience thrilling and deeply rewarding.
The collaboration between architecture and film in “The Shrouds” highlights how a well-conceived space can help tell a story without a single line of dialogue. For Kariouk Architects, seeing the Forest Retreat reach a new audience through Cronenberg’s vision was an unforgettable experience.
If you’re feeling brave, you can watch the trailer here.
