The Horror Show
Cargo
by Yolanda Ramke, Ben Howling
Striving more for intense drama than scares, Yolanda Ramke and Ben Howling’s zombie horror is a feature-length stretching of the duo’s 2013 highly-rated short. Five years later, and running a little over 100 minutes, Cargo paints the picture of a zombie-stricken world and the drama of a father to ensure safety for his baby girl.
Starring Martin Freeman, Australia-set Cargo follows Andy, his wife Kay (Susie Porter), and their baby daughter Rosie in their attempt to survive the zombie outbreak that struck upon the world. While things seem to be going relatively well and the family is starting to feel fairly safe, Kay gets bitten by a zombie. And this is when things take a grim turn. Aside from some refreshing elements, there’s not much else to expect from the story, horror-wise.
That being said, it has become quite a common practice for creators of this horror sub-genre to infuse their narrative with social commentary. Thus for a zombie flick, Cargo gets extremely dramatic in places. Ramke and Howling’s extended version of the 2013 short becomes more a movie about family and human connections than a terrifying story about survival and death. Toying with those heavier concepts is not necessarily a bad thing; it is actually where the film’s strength lies. There, and also in Freeman.
Freeman’s performance adds a lot to the film, but he is not merely enough to take the movie to the next level and cause genuine frights. Clearly, the pacing was meant to be intentionally slow and thought-provoking, however it takes its toll on the story at times.
At this point, let’s take a moment to talk about the movie’s biggest asset: cinematography. Cinematographer Geoffrey Simpson did an excellent job capturing the Outback in all its raw glory and pairing it nicely with the concept of the undead. The way he utilized natural elements, both visually and acoustically, played a key role in setting the right tone and, ultimately, in delivering an intense, enjoyable drama.
In an effort to stand out from the innumerable zombie flicks shambling through every horror movie or show, Ramke’s screenplay features some clever unexpected touches.
So, if you find drama-infused horror compelling, be sure to give Cargo a watch. It is certainly not the worst movie out there!
Maria Kriva, HMS
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