David Cronenberg Made A (Very) Short Film About His Own Death

David Cronenberg is dead – in a new short film, that is. The Canadian filmmaker and master of body horror is actually alive and well, and currently filming his next feature "Crimes of the Future." But Cronenberg also recently teamed up with his daughter Caitlin Cronenberg to make a one-minute short film titled "The Death of David Cronenberg." The short has Cronenberg cuddling with a very realistic-looking dummy made up to resemble his corpse, because of course it does. Access to the short film is being auctioned off via SuperRare.

Sooner or later, death comes for us all. I know that as I've gotten older, the inevitability of death has begun to take up space in my mind, occasionally filling me with crushing existential dread. And I'm not even that old, folks! David Cronenberg, in contrast, is 78, and while I hope he has many more years to come, it's not out of line to say that he's obviously getting up in there in years. Cronenberg has seemingly found a way to confront his inescapable demise with a macabre little short film in which he climbs into bed with his own dead body, which is a thoroughly Cronenbergian thing to do.  

In the short, titled "The Death of David Cronenberg," Cronenberg walks into a bedroom and sees his own dead body in bed. Rather than run screaming from the room, as you or I might do, Cronenberg climbs into bed and nuzzles up against the corpse. Here's more info: 

"The Death of David Cronenberg" is a short 1-minute film written by and starring filmmaker, screenwriter, and actor David Cronenberg. "The Death of David Cronenberg" features the subject standing in a small, softly lit room. He wears a robe and looks deeply into the camera before his gaze shifts to a motionless figure in a bed. The film, a collaboration with Cronenberg's daughter Caitlin, who shot and produced the film, explores mortality, surrealism, and the metamorphosis of life and death. David Cronenberg is best known for exploring themes of bodily transformation, technology, and infection in films such as Shivers (1975), Videodrome (1983), and The Fly (1986). He has directed over 20 films, written more than half of them, and acted in several others. His name has appeared on numerous "greatest director" lists including from Strange Horizons and The Guardian.

Thankfully, there's more to come from Cronenberg. He's currently at work on "Crimes of the Future," his first feature directorial effort since 2014. In "Crimes of the Future," Cronenberg will bring audiences to "the not-so-distant future where humankind is learning to adapt to its synthetic surroundings." Here's more info: 

This evolution moves humans beyond their natural state and into a metamorphosis, altering their biological makeup. While some embrace the limitless potential of trans-humanism, others attempt to police it. Either way, 'Accelerated Evolution Syndrome,' is spreading fast. Saul Tenser is a beloved performance artist who has embraced Accelerated Evolution Syndrome, sprouting new and unexpected organs in his body. Along with his partner Caprice, Tenser has turned the removal of these organs into a spectacle for his loyal followers to marvel at in real time theatre. But with both the government and a strange subculture taking note, Tenser is forced to consider what would be his most shocking performance of all.

The cast includes Viggo Mortensen, Léa Seydoux, and Kristen Stewart.