Cargo is a 2013 Australian short film directed by Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke, written by Ramke, and starring Andy Rodoreda as a father who must protect his young daughter (Ruth Venn) during a zombie apocalypse. It was made for the Tropfest short film festival, where it was a finalist. It went viral after it was uploaded to YouTube, and it was featured on many web sites.[1] By 2018, it had been viewed over 14 million times.
| Cargo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by |
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| Written by | Yolanda Ramke |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Daniel Foeldes |
| Edited by | Shannon Longville |
| Music by | Helen Grimley |
Production company | Dreaming Tree Productions |
Release date |
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Running time | 7 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
Plot
editAfter a car crash knocks him unconscious, a man wakes up to find that his wife has died and turned into a zombie. He leaves the car, grabs his young daughter from the back seat, and realizes that his wife bit him while he was unconscious. After an emotional goodbye to his wife, he sets off to find survivors.
Knowing that he does not have much time left before he turns into a zombie, he puts his daughter in a baby back-pack, binds his hands to a pole, and attaches carrion to the end of the pole. After he collapses, he rises again as a zombie, and, drawn by the lure of the carrion on the pole, continues his journey.
After a point, he notices the balloon he inflated for his daughter and is distracted by it. He is then shot by a sniper, and three survivors investigate his corpse to make sure he’s dead. They almost leave before the woman of the group hears the baby’s cries and discovers everything he did to try to save his daughter, who has 'My Name is Rosie' written on her stomach in permanent marker.
In the ending scene, the woman holds and comforts Rosie while in the background, the two men bury her father under a cross, giving him honor for his sacrifice and dedication to Rosie.
Cast
edit- Andy Rodoreda as Father
- Ruth Venn as Rosie, the father's baby daughter
- Yolanda Ramke as Survivor
- Alison Gallagher as Mother
- Kallan Richards as Survivor
- Effron Heather as Survivor
- Scott Wood as Sniper
Release
editCargo was made for the Tropfest short film festival, where it was a finalist. After its release, it went viral and attracted millions of views on YouTube.[2]
Reception
editCargo was featured on Die Zeit,[3] The Week,[4] CNET,[5][6] IGN,[7] Film School Rejects,[8] and Bloody Disgusting.[9]
Remake
editCargo was remade as a 2017 feature length film starring Martin Freeman.[10] The feature film was made available on Netflix in April 2018.[11][12]
References
edit- ^
Karl Quinn (3 May 2018). "When is a zombie film not a zombie film? When it's Martin Freeman's Cargo". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
Cargo was written by Yolanda Ramke and co-directed by her and Ben Howling (they're mates, but not a couple). It's their first feature, an extended reworking of the seven-minute film they made for Tropfest in 2013, which became a YouTube sensation (it's been watched more than 14 million times).
- ^ "Tropfest Australia is Calling For Entries". Tropfest. 3 July 2013. Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
- ^ Kühl, Eike (30 June 2013). "Netzfilm der Woche: "Cargo"". Die Zeit (in German). Retrieved 9 January 2015.
- ^ Oneill, Therese (9 October 2013). "9 horror films under 9 minutes". The Week. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
- ^ Kooser, Amanda (14 October 2013). "Five great zombie short films you can watch online". CNET. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
- ^ Starr, Michelle (14 April 2013). "Short zombie film will break your heart". CNET. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
- ^ Grimm, Rae (13 April 2013). "Cargo: Der beste Zombie-Kurzfilm aller Zeiten". IGN (in German). Retrieved 9 January 2015.
- ^ Beggs, Scott (9 April 2013). "SFotD: A Father Tries to Save His Baby Girl After He's Bitten by a Zombie in 'Cargo'". Film School Rejects. Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
- ^ Miska, Brad (16 December 2014). "There's a Baby On This Zombie's Back…". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
- ^ Giroux, Jack (24 September 2016). "'Cargo' First Look: Martin Freeman Stars in the Zombie-Infested Drama". /Film. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
- ^ Josh Wise (23 April 2018). "Cargo". Slant magazine. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
- ^ Raz Robinson (22 April 2018). "The NetFlix film about a baby-toting dad Fighting Zombies is Apparently Good". Fatherly magazine. Retrieved 16 May 2018.