The last several months has seen a new sort of game pop up on social media. Each and every Friday. Without fail, seemingly out of no where, someone will ask a friend “hey, did you see that new film on Netflix?” and within a few hours, it’s all over the news. Forget about The Cloverfield Paradox, as there’s been a handful of films that have recently hit the streaming giant’s service, with much much much less fanfare. Part of that’s due to Netflix’s distribution arm, that snatches up almost any and all international and festival films it can get it’s hand on. Now you can add Cargo to that list.
The film follows Andy (Martin Freeman) as he journeys across the Outback, in search of a family with whom he can leave his young child before. Why is he doing this, you may ask? Turns out he has been bitten and infected by a zombie like virus and has only 48 hours until he turns. If that sounds bleak at all, take a gander at the recently released trailer:
That seems like a neat little take on the zombie genre, which is always in need of a little sprucing up. Interestingly enough there’s another trailer out there, probably for when the film was on the festival circuit, which played up the quieter scenes over the horror/action beats. If the film falls somewhere in the middle, it may be something truly special.
Having Martin Freeman in the lead role feels like a minor “sure thing”, specially with how much his name is being bandied about, early in 2018. There’s no denying that Black Panther was a major hit, where he of course had a memorable role. Then, in just a few weeks time, Ghost Stories (which killed at SXSW) comes out as well. The former Bilbo Baggins seems like he may have a big big year ahead of him.
Freeman isn’t the only talent involved as the film comes from the producers of The Babdook and co-stars David Gulpilil. While Gulpilil may not be a household name, he is a respected Australian actor who’s had featured roles in the likes of The Last Wave, Crocodile Dundee and Australia.
For those hoping to see Cargo, you won’t have to wait too long, as the film comes out on May 18th.
