At the time of this writing, my daughter and son-in-law had COVID. I had been isolating myself because they are both hacking up a lung. I’m fully vaccinated & boostered up the wazoo, but I am trying desperately not to become a COVID zombie. Speaking of zombies… when I am isolated and bored, I watch horror films. I found a gem that I know you’ll want to watch on Netflix.
Cargo
Cargo is a 2017 Australian apocalyptic film that was directed by Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke, and stars the freaking amazing actor, Martin Freeman, along with Simone Landers, Anthony Hayes, David Gulpilil, Susie Porter and Caren Pistorius. Now I know what you are about to say – “Once you’ve seen one zombie film, you’ve seen them all.” I hear you, but Cargo is different in so many ways.
Cargo begins with Andy (Martin Freeman) and his wife Kay (Susie Porter) floating on a houseboat with their baby, Rose. They are taking the river route in order to reach a military refuge. They are safe on the boat, but they are running out of supplies. The virus, if a person is bitten, turns people rabid within 48 hours. Luckily for the family, they come across an abandoned sailboat; unfortunately while searching for supplies, Kay is bitten by a rabid human.
While Andy and Kay go on land to find a car and a hospital, the story jumps to the Aboriginal girl, Thoomi (Simone Landers) who is trying to find Daku (David Gulpilil), a holy man who might be able to help her rabid father. After Andy is bitten by his wife, who turns rabid, he only has 48 hours to find someone to take care of his daughter. There are other people on Andy’s journey, but none can help him, and one particularly nasty, racist man (Anthony Hayes) is actually a bigger threat than the virus.
Conclusion
I have been writing reviews on The Walking Dead for eleven years, so I didn’t expect a zombie film to hit me like Cargo did. Aside from the dangers of the Australian outback…heat, lack of water, and strangers…the story revolves around the characters of Martin Freeman and Simone Landers. Andy and Thoomi must trust each other to save little Rose….and time is running out.
I have always said, and I believe this with my whole heart, that if there is a global apocalyptic event, it will be the indigenous people like Thoomi’s people who will survive and flourish. I am purposely not revealing the ending because I want you to sit down and watch this film. I never expected a horror film to have more heart than frights, but Cargo does, and it is worth the watch.
