Warning: This is a SPOILER review!

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With Cargo, writer and co-director Yolanda Ramke subverts the zombie genre with a story exploring masculinity and what may really come after our modern society begins to decay and eat itself. In the midst of a zombie apocalypse, husband and wife Andy (Martin Freeman) and Kay (Susie Porter) are doing all they can to provide for their infant daughter, Rosie. But when Kay is bitten and in turn, infects her husband, Andy must search the Outback for someone to care for Rosie before he too succumbs to the virus.

Cargo began as a short film, directed by Ramke and Ben Howling, which debuted in 2013 at Tropfest in Australia. Their seven-minute movie finished second at the festival and went on to rack up over 12 million views on YouTube, before being bought by Netflix in early 2017. The simple premise of a father-daugther journey through the bush is intriguing. Its opening minutes are sure to make anyone a nervous mess. However, this “zombie tearjerker” does wear itself thin across the 100-minute adaption. Before the credits roll, you may find yourself pressing “pause-play” more than a few times to check how much longer it goes on.

But just like the original, the feature-length film lays all of its cards on the table early. Andy’s wife is dead and he’s been bitten. This isn’t a tale about surviving the apocalypse. It’s about what to do with the finite amount of time you have left. And the story does an excellent job at putting the sense of hopelessness Andy feels on display. Those he encounters looking for a home for Rosie are either just as ill or have been made cruel by the new world, forcing him to look elsewhere. It’s not just Andy’s health that is decaying, it’s his hope, world, and the morals of those in it.

Of course, probing humanity’s psyche during the end times is hardly uncharted territory. However, Cargo sets itself apart with how it tackles these issues, by refusing to give in to many of the genre’s common tropes of gore, infighting, and the “survival at any cost” mentality. It’s a refreshing change of pace from series such as The Walking Dead, the long-running AMC zombie drama, which has been the authority on how our doom by the undead will play out. In fact, the two couldn’t be further apart on how they approach the same topics. And it begins with Martin Freeman.

As Andy, Freeman presents an alternative to the familiar, brooding, post-apocalyptic father. He doesn’t rage after the loss of his wife, nor does he withdraw when realizing he’s suffered a fatal bite. His character’s masculinity isn’t measured by the number of zombies he can kill. It’s seen through the way he overcomes his despair by reaching out to others for strength, instead of going it alone. This picture of manhood is then contrasted with more toxic examples during encounters with a brutal opportunist and an infected man who has decided he won’t let his family go on without him. Andy’s masculinity is a quiet one, defined by devotion to his daughter rather than going out in a blaze of glory.

But more than one man’s journey to find shelter for his daughter, Cargo seems to say a lot about the state of the world and what’s to come. Ever since George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead, zombies have been regarded as a metaphor for consumerism and lack of free thought. They rove the countrysides aimlessly, devouring any red meat they happen to cross. It’s an incredibly versatile symbol that just needs you to replace flesh with any other kind of object or idea to work. But Ramke’s script seems to be literal. Society is devouring itself, but it is not beyond saving.

Accompanying Andy on his journey is Thoomi (played terrifically by newcomer Simone Landers), a young Aboriginal girl, who doesn’t see the infected people as gone for good. She believes they have simply “lost their souls” and is looking for an elder in her community she believes can heal her father, who has already turned. But as Andy’s time finally winds to a close, he entrusts the care of his daughter to Thoomi and the community she belongs to, but not before proving her belief about the souls of those bitten. Despite modern society falling apart around them, they are able to thrive in the midst of it all.

By now, the zombie genre has been mined for all it’s worth. Stories involving the undead have been told in the form of comedies, action adventures, and even a surprisingly delightful love story. So finding a way to standout among such a crowded genre can be a challenge. Your story needs to be either beautiful, personal, or profound. And though it may not be perfect, Cargo is all three of these.

4 ticket stubs out of 5

Cargo is rated TV-MA

Did you see Cargo? If so, let us know what you thought in the comments. But remember, we’re all friends, so let’s keep the conversation civil!