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It’s been quite a while but we’re back with a new short film review on #ShortMovieMonday! Today I’m taking a look at Cargo which is a 2013 Austrailian short film directed by Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke. It tells the story of a zombie-bitten father and his attempt to save his infant daughter. It was a Tropfest Australia 2013 finalist.
SPOILER ALERT: This review WILL talk openly about the plot of the film. If you want to experience the film as it was intended watch it before reading this review. Full film is embedded at the end of this post
Cargo Plot & Thoughts
A man wakes up to find that he’d been in a car crash with his wife. She has died and turned into a zombie. He manages to escape the car as his wife is still buckled into her seat belt and he retrieves his baby who was in the back seat unharmed.
He realizes that he was bitten by his wife and does not have much time so he sets off to find survivors. He puts his daughter in a sling on his back, binds his hands to a pole, and attaches road kill to the end of the pole. He dies and comes back as a zombie and follows the carcass that’s just out of reach. A survivor shoots down the man, and several others approach on foot. After a few tense moments where we think they will leave the man, it is revealed that the baby girl is unharmed and the dad has accomplishment his mission of saving his daughter’s life.
As a parent this is absolutely heart wrenching. The dad knows that he’s dead but has nothing but his daughter’s well being in mind. There is NO dialog here and it makes it that much more dramatic. This is one of the best short films I’ve ever seen. It’s just over 7 minutes long from beginning to end and has not one line of dialog, but it manages to tell one of the most intense and heart warming stories ever. Strongest of recommends.
Check out the full film below and leave us a comment to let us know what you think!
https://youtu.be/gryenlQKTbE
