‘You’re the first people we’ve seen…’
One would imagine that there isn’t much new territory to explore in the zombie movie world. The Walking Dead has surely covered every eventuality ad nauseam. This only makes it all the more exciting when something does come along in this moribund genre that genuinely offers something new. Cargo shares a few strands of DNA with The Road and 28 Days Later while still being stubbornly its own thing…
In the midst of a virus that turns people into bloodthirsty cannibals within 48 hours, Andy (Martin Freeman) and his partner Kay (Susie Porter) attempt to navigate the tough terrain of Australia whilst also avoiding the contaminated and caring for their infant daughter Rosie.
Adding a small child into the world of a zombie apocalypse could easily come across as a cynical and lazy attempt to manufacture stakes and tension in a genre that is so often derivative and generic. Writer-director Yolanda Ramke (adapting her own short film of the same name) and her talented cast ensure Cargo remains emotionally gruelling without ever resorting to forced sentimentality. The escalating horror of the situation that Andy finds himself in is genuinely difficult to watch in places, made all the more horrifying by Freeman’s typically assured and likeable performance. Watching Cargo, it’s impossible not to question why Freeman hasn’t had a long and storied career as a genre actor. Perhaps it’s not his thing. Either way, it’s a shame because he’s excellent throughout Cargo. As is relative newcomer Simone Landers as Andy’s indigenous companion Thoomi.
Cargo breathes new life into the zombie subgenre by eschewing traditional genre tropes and reaching for something more ambitious – an underseen and underrated movie.
