Cargo achieves what was once thought impossible: a unique and original zombie movie, filled with humanity and depth to go along with plenty of terrific scares.

Ever since George A. Romero revolutionised the zombie subgenre with Night of the Living Dead, zombie’s have featured in all matter of scenario: Dawn of the Living Dead had them terrorise a shopping mall; Shaun of the Dead converged on a pub; and Train to Busan saw the undead terrify a passenger train. Now there is a new scenario: a father walking through the Australian outback with his 1-year old child strapped to his back. That is the now iconic image of Cargo, the feature film debut from Australian duo Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke, who adapt their awards winning short (seen over 14 million times on YouTube) to the big screen.

Martin Freeman stars as Andy, a British expat who along with his wife Kay (Susie Porter) and their 1-year old daughter Rosie, navigate a barren Australia succumbed to a zombie apocalypse. When Kay is killed and Andy infected in a surprise attack, he has mere days to find someone willing to protect his daughter in a land succumbed to fear and hordes of the undead.

Cargo features the exact type of gruesome violence and tense scares that any great zombie movie should have. Yet Howling and Ramke successfully up the emotional and story stakes by basing their story upon the intimate relationship between parent and child. Where some filmmakers could exploit the use of a toddler for emotionally manipulative gain, Cargo is instead infused with a heartfelt humanity. We care for this man and his plight, as he navigates a world seemingly without hope to secure an unknown future for his child.

Freeman delivers one of his best performances as Andy, dealing with threats external and internal while literally carrying the weight of a life to a destination unknown. Freeman’s performances is a highlight in a very character driven approach to the zombie film, giving pulse to this world of the undead that too often is bogged down in the promise and thrill of grizzly violence and nothing more.

Not too stay that Cargo doesn’t have such moments. Yet it is the emotional strength of its characters, rather than the exploits of its monsters, that makes this horror movie stand out in a genre cluttered with all matter of zombie movie. Instead of revelling in the land of the dead, Cargo teaches us to embrace what it is to be alive.