Cargo (2013 film)

{{Infobox film

| name = Cargo

| image = Cargo 2013 poster.jpg

| alt =

| caption =

| director = {{plainlist|

Ben Howling
Yolanda Ramke

}}

| producer = {{plainlist|

Daniel Foeldes
Ben Howling
Marcus Newman
Yolanda Ramke

}}

| writer = Yolanda Ramke

| starring = {{plainlist|

Andy Rodoreda
Ruth Venn
Yolanda Ramke
Alison Gallagher
Kallan Richards
Effron Heather
Scott Wood

}}

| music = Helen Grimley

| cinematography = Daniel Foeldes

| editing = Shannon Longville

| studio = Dreaming Tree Productions

| distributor =

| released = {{film date|df=yes|2013|02|17|Tropfest}}

| runtime = 7 minutes

| country = Australia

| language = English

| budget =

| gross =

}}

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. By 2018, it had been viewed over 14 million times.

Plot

After 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

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

Cargo 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.{{cite web|url=http://international.tropfest.com/au/2013/07/03/tropfest-australia-is-calling-for-entries/|title=Tropfest Australia is Calling For Entries|work=Tropfest|date=2013-07-03|accessdate=2015-01-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110054710/http://international.tropfest.com/au/2013/07/03/tropfest-australia-is-calling-for-entries/|archive-date=10 January 2015|url-status=dead}}

Reception

Cargo was featured on Die Zeit,{{cite news|url=http://blog.zeit.de/netzfilmblog/2013/06/30/kurzfilm-zombies-cargo/|title=Netzfilm der Woche: "Cargo"|last=Kühl|first=Eike|work=Die Zeit|date=2013-06-30|accessdate=2015-01-09|language=German}} The Week,{{cite news|url=https://theweek.com/article/index/250755/9-horror-films-under-9-minutes|title=9 horror films under 9 minutes|last=Oneill|first=Therese|work=The Week|date=2013-10-09|accessdate=2015-01-09}} CNET,{{cite web|url=https://cnet.com/news/five-great-zombie-short-films-you-can-watch-online/|title=Five great zombie short films you can watch online|last=Kooser|first=Amanda|work=CNET|date=2013-10-14|accessdate=2015-01-09}}{{cite web|url=https://cnet.com/news/short-zombie-film-will-break-your-heart/|title=Short zombie film will break your heart|last=Starr|first=Michelle|work=CNET|date=2013-04-14|accessdate=2015-01-09}} IGN,{{cite web|url=http://de.ign.com/the-walking-dead-the-game-mac/84673/news/cargo-der-beste-zombie-kurzfilm-aller-zeiten|title=Cargo: Der beste Zombie-Kurzfilm aller Zeiten|last=Grimm|first=Rae|work=IGN|date=2013-04-13|accessdate=2015-01-09|language=German}} Film School Rejects,{{cite web|url=http://filmschoolrejects.com/features/short-film-a-father-tries-to-save-his-baby-girl-after-hes-bitten-by-a-zombie-in-cargo.php|title=SFotD: A Father Tries to Save His Baby Girl After He's Bitten by a Zombie in 'Cargo'|last=Beggs|first=Scott|work=Film School Rejects|date=2013-04-09|accessdate=2015-01-09|archive-date=10 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110055309/http://filmschoolrejects.com/features/short-film-a-father-tries-to-save-his-baby-girl-after-hes-bitten-by-a-zombie-in-cargo.php|url-status=dead}} and Bloody Disgusting.{{cite web|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3324685/theres-baby-zombies-back/|title=There's a Baby On This Zombie's Back…|last=Miska|first=Brad|work=Bloody Disgusting|date=2014-12-16|accessdate=2015-01-09}}

Remake

Cargo was remade as a 2017 feature length film starring Martin Freeman.{{cite web|url=http://www.slashfilm.com/cargo-first-look/|work=/Film|title='Cargo' First Look: Martin Freeman Stars in the Zombie-Infested Drama|date=2016-09-24|first=Jack|last=Giroux|accessdate=2016-10-11}} The feature film was made available on Netflix in April 2018.

References

{{Reflist|refs=

{{cite news

| url = https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/when-is-a-zombie-film-not-a-zombie-film-when-its-martin-freemans-cargo-20180426-h0zbev.html

| title = When is a zombie film not a zombie film? When it's Martin Freeman's Cargo

| work = Sydney Morning Herald

| author = Karl Quinn

| date = 2018-05-03

| page =

| location =

| accessdate = 2018-05-16

| quote = 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).

}}

{{cite news

| url = https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/cargo-2017

| title = Cargo

| work = Slant magazine

| author = Josh Wise

| date = 2018-04-23

| page =

| location =

| accessdate = 2018-05-16

| quote =

}}