Cargo (2013) Poster

(2013)

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8/10
Son of a... great, now I have to go find a way to put the pieces of my heart back together!
TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews5 September 2013
With a solid opening(effective storytelling defined; aspiring filmmakers, take notes. Make a list of just how many things are communicated by the start of this, if you want protips), this brings us into the middle of a zombie apocalypse, with a man determined to save his infant. But there's one huge problem - he's already been bitten.

When there is no more room for new takes on this subgenre, the crap will overload it. And in that situation, maybe the best thing to do is to focus on the characters, and give the audience a small-scale, personal story. It has been said that the way to determine if a monster story is good or not, is whether the creature could be removed, or at the very least replaced, and there would still be something compelling there. This, like many classical tales, succeeds that test, where many fail.

The 6 and a half minute(without credits, 7 with) running time flies by. If anything, it starts out on a high note, and only gains in traction. It gets increasingly devastating as it goes. While you won't realize immediately "what is going on"(what the man is actually doing and why), once you do, it's a fantastic idea, and you cheer in an earnest way that few current productions inspire. Production values are excellent, everything feels real, the Romero-esque setting is entirely credible.

There is constant disturbing content and a little bloody, brutal violence in this. I recommend this to everyone who likes undead horror. 8/10
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7/10
Oh The Humanity
Theo Robertson18 February 2014
A man awakens from a car crash to find that his wife has become a zombie . Exiting the car he rescues his baby daughter from the backseat then realises he has a bite mark which will almost certainly convert him in to being a zombie

Yet another film featuring a zombie apocalypse . You can understand why film makers keep visiting this sub genre of horror because it's relatively easy to stick a few extras on location with some make up and that's all you basically need . Like so many zombie shorts you feel you're watching a segment of a much longer feature and CARGO is no different . What this short does very well is bring a human element to the narrative . We know that the father has been bitten , that he has a baby to protect and our fears are for that baby should the father become one of the infected/undead . It possibly won't have a market outside the hard core horror market but it's nice to see a horror short that reflects upon the human element of a story
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7/10
7 minutes well spent.
BA_Harrison10 December 2016
Cargo, a touching 7-minute Australian short by directors Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke, focuses on just one of the small-scale personal tragedies that occurs as a result of a zombie outbreak.

The film opens with a man (Andy Rodoreda) waking from a car crash to find that his wife (Alison Gallagher), still strapped in by her seat belt, has turned into a zombie, and that he has been bitten on the arm. His baby daughter (Ruth Venn) is in the back of the car, unharmed. How can he guarantee the safety of his child once he also becomes a zombie?

Without giving away the answer, his plan is both a little yucky and rather ingenious, leading to a satisfying conclusion that should pull on the heartstrings of even the most hardened zombie fans.
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10/10
Speechlessness
epsilonmight17 September 2013
I have watched this countless times and honestly, I cannot even begin to describe when I start seeing the little nuances in this short film. However short it is, the plot is tight and it effectively encapsulates the story from past to present and future.

I am not one who likes horror but even as I cringe from the first 2 minutes (maybe first minute or less), the film just gets better. Definitely right up my alley than crap with poor plots and cheap scares.

Unless if you are a film critic, and even by that standards it is pretty good, you may (probably) be like me and repeat-watch this for the little actions that the father do and trust me, your gut just gets punched more.
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10/10
Unconditional love never dies.
Hatherleymk16 January 2014
Never have I ever thought in my entire life a seven minute zombie film would make me cry and think as much as Cargo did. As a parent and as an avid zombie enthusiast it really did it for me. The simplicity and lack of lines made it seem so much more real than the top films in the genre. What I perceived from the film was this: Unconditional love never dies, no matter how much change we have in ourselves (for better or worse in this case becoming the undead) we can and will do anything to protect our children even from ourselves if we must. I'd really hope they could have won the award this was nominated for. I can't wait for more work from Yolanda. This this seven minute piece of art really made me think and of course cried. Thank you for Cargo.
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6/10
Cargo: A platform for a fantastic film
Platypuschow30 December 2018
Cargo (2013) is the short film that inspired the fantastic Cargo (2017) starring Martin Freeman and is a hugely condensed version essentially of the same plot.

It in 7 minutes tells the story of one mans desperate attempt at finding help for his baby daughter during the zombie apocalypse after he himself is bitten and has mere hours before he turns.

If you have watched the feature first then you will likely go in with expectations that couldn't possibly be met. However if you take it for what it is, a simple hyper quick short version of the story with a quaint modified version of the features finale then you may find enjoyment.

This was also written/directed by the same people who would go onto do the feature movie four years later and honestly it shows.

The Good:

Heart wrenching

The Bad:

Finale was stretched out a bit far

Oddly paced

Things I Learnt From This Short:

Moral of the story, don't have kids. Though honestly that's the moral of every story including the tale of life itself!
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10/10
A touching tale of Fatherly Love
tbirum20 June 2013
Cargo is a 7 minute movie, so It's difficult to discuss much about the film without giving away too much of the story. What I can say is that this (short film) was crafted by very skilled hands by people who take film making seriously. The acting, concept, directing, script, special effects are all top notch. While shot on what I'm sure was a shoe string budget, It is more polished then a great deal of the movies coming out of Hollywood these days. The story is about a Father and his infant daughter who find themselves in a very dire situation and some quick thinking and a lot of luck are going to be required to see any kind of semblance of a happy ending. The film is free of Nudity, foul language, violence (on screen), or adult situations. Individuals 13 and older should have no real issues with watching this 7 minute film. I give it 10/10 because it truly is an example of great film making.
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A few minor issues but otherwise a moving and engaging little scene
bob the moo1 March 2014
A father comes to in his car, strapped into the seat next to him his wife has become infected but in the back seat his baby daughter is fine. With a zone nearby known to be safe from infection, the father sets out to ensure safety for his baby girl no matter what the cost.

As Theo has already said, the zombie horror genre is a pretty regular one in the genre of short films and, although I personally get scared quite easily by them, it is a genre that can easily feel tired and overused. It is to Cargo's credit then, that it creates something that works really well and doesn't rely on the usual jump scares or clichés of the genre. Here our setting is a zombie apocalypse but really the film is about love of a father for his child and this aspect is what keeps the interest and ultimately moves. The simple idea is delivered without any dialogue but yet the determination and the fact that the father never thinks of himself is really nicely shown.

If I had a complaint it would be that the music is a bit too obviously tragic and the final shots of sitting on the hill with the baby is a little corny, but the concept delivers the feels even if the specifics such as these are not what I would have liked. The genre is used to deliver something more than the norm and it is moving and memorable for what it does.
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6/10
Something new for the genre
Horst_In_Translation16 October 2015
Warning: Spoilers
"Cargo" is an Australian short film from 2 years ago and it is evidence that it is still possible to bring something and refreshing to the genre of zombie films, even with so many movies and television series out there, especially very recently "The Walking Dead" of course. We see a man who has a little baby daughter and who got bitten by another zombie apparently and is about to transform himself. In an act of kindness he does all he can to save his little kid from himself and the other zombies out there. It's a nicely atmospheric movie, has some emotion and heart that is otherwise rare for the genre. I would not call it great or truly memorable, but at a really short runtime of 7 minutes, it was a good watch and I hope that Yolanda Ramke, who wrote and directed this one, can have a good career in the future. Same goes for her co-director Ben Howling. Thumbs up and a must-see if you love zombie movies. And still a good watch if you don't. And you won't have to be able to speak English as there is no dialogue in here.
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9/10
Superb in every way.
Stephan_fr9 July 2020
"Cargo" manages to deliver high production value, a 3 act script and great acting in less than 10 minutes. It's the epitome of a great short, and deserves all the accolades it received. A must watch for any short film fan.
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7/10
Really Good
amorales-4630914 December 2018
I recommend this film to viewers who are interested in character development, great cinematography, a well written script, and a solid meaningful ending. Please don't come into this movie expecting The Walking Dead/ Zombieland type of action film because this isn't it.
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10/10
Extremely Well Done
meaningbird23 November 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This movie is great really great now I haven't watched the reboot which may or may not be better than this one (it wasn't but was still great) but Cargo (2013) is a movie with great acting even though there is no dialogue this movie is well paced and the main character who actually plays a character in the new Cargo movie is a smart character especially when he is about to turn into a zombie this movie is really great and deserves more attention than it got overall I give this movie a 10/10.
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5/10
Awesome short movie
atinder10 October 2013
This is short movie, was really good, it only 7 min long

A guy wakes up in his Car, there is a baby crying in the back ground and seem to come around. the look of it, he as been I a car crash, as turn to look at his wife

Then she that become some kind of zombie but lucky for him she still in her seat belt.

As the rest of short, is about the father trying save is baby but he turn into zombie as also find out he as been bitten.

which was really good and really effect, even it's just 7 mins

it's well short, it was well acted and the plot really moving and Make up effect for zombie was really good.

I going to give short 8 out of 10
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