Yolanda Ramke and Ben Howling’s short zombie film is a masterpiece. It’s mature, beautifully told, and I was teary eyed by the final scenes. “Cargo” is set during a zombie apocalypse, and both directors only garner eight minutes to tell a story teeming with epic potential. It could be a feature film, but as a short glimpse at a world of the undead, it’s a slice of humanity set amidst monsters in a rapidly decaying land.
“Cargo” sets down on a young man whose just crashed in a car with his wife at the wheel. When he awakens from the crash, he finds his wife is now a zombie. Saving his daughter from her clutches, he realizes he’s been bitten and now has to do whatever it takes to find shelter for her. “Cargo” is very slim on zombie carnage but makes up for it with a humanistic story featuring brutally compelling characters. and a dilemma we could all relate to.
Especially dads. In the end of the world, there still is something left fighting for. And the law of the land continues to be seeking safety for the young. With only three hours of life ahead of him, our father ventures out in to the wilderness, doing whatever he can to keep his daughter satiated from hunger, and then devises a clever method to ensure the safety of this precious cargo. Even after he’s become one of the walking dead.
“Cargo” garners superb direction along with some fantastic performances. There is no dialogue, but the excellent direction along with the masterful editing makes dialogue seem almost superfluous. There’s no need for words in this heart wrenching situation. We just know that there was once a man who did whatever he could to ensure the safety of his daughter. And in the end, it’s a devastating and gripping look at how far man will go to make sure he can keep his remaining family alive.