Review of Cargo (2017) by Bob B — 13 Jul 2018

Cargo.

Cargo is a unique take on a very common zombie apocalypse film. Directors Yolanda Ramke and Ben Howling take us on a heart-gutting, anxiety inducing journey as a father, infected and only with 48 hours to live, attempts to find refuge for his 2 year old daughter Rosie.

What is great about this film is it's ability to ask questions beyond mortality. Yes, we consider what it's like to be faced with impending death. However, these directors give the viewer a chance to ask ourselves, what are other possible realities in the new world?

What tv shows like The Walking Dead, and movies like I am Legend fail to do, that this movie succeeds at, is intertwine racial, gender, and environmental issues into an apocalyptic setting. Often times we see these issues forgotten in the new world; there is distrust, but it rarely has to do with race, gender, etc. Cargo does not ignore these topics, but rather embeds them very well into the film.

Through the father's journey to find someone to care for his child, we run into several people that have responded to the apocalypse in very different ways. We have Tumy, or aborigines girl (her gender is rather unclear) who has a very intimate relationship with the "ghosts", vick, a malicious man ready to gain power in the new world, and a family of 4 who act as if they are not in the apocalypse but on an RV vacation. Its through these individuals that the viewer is given a grasp on how the old world has impacted the new world.

This movie was gut wrenching, scary, and beautiful. A tale about being a good person, about spirituality and science, about a father's love for his daughter, and with an important statement about todays world. During a time when its very easy to hate and to blame, how and when can we turn to others to make life better?