Cargo reminds me a little bit of John Hillcoat’s The Road starring Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee or maybe it’s simply because of the same father and his kid scenario in a post-apocalyptic world – a sort of Zombie apocalypse for this film. I honestly didn’t like The Road that much when I initially watched it but rewatching it has been a rather enlightening experience.
Cargo, though is a totally different experience compared with my first impression watching The Road. I actually find it more emotional and the reason perhaps, is because it has a baby in it! When Guido sacrificed himself to save Giosue in La Vita e Bella, his kid has some great memories of him. Smit-McPhee’s character in The Road is old enough to remember his dad. But Rosie. Poor Rosie is just a wee thing wearing her diaper and needing to feed every now and then and she won’t even remember a thing about her father – his sacrifices and all that. Just heartbreaking!
The movie’s bleak overall feel was juxtaposed by its ginormous setting of the Australian wild. It would’ve been boring if not for the affecting performance of Martin Freeman as a sensible and loving father who will do everything to keep his baby safe. The baby may be the heart of the film – the center of everything that’s happening in the film – but Freeman is definitely its heartbeat.
This is an affecting film, that’s for sure – not scary, startling or even groundbreaking but its emotional impact is its strength. It’d be a worthy film to watch, most definitely!
Director: Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke
Cast: Martin Freeman, Anthony Hayes, Caren Postorius, David Gulpilil. Susie Porter, Kris McQuade, Bruce R. Carter, Natasha Wanganeen, Simone Landers
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
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