Martin Freeman in Cargo (Geoffrey Simpson)

It seems that in the past few years, zombie films are multiplying just as quickly as the undead they depict. You can’t turn your head before you see one shambling (if you’re retro) or barreling (if you prefer the more current variety) toward you. There have been epics (World War Z), intimate survivalist tales (Here Alone) and a particular television series that has more than worn out its welcome. So, if you’re going to add another chronicle of the undead, you better have something fresh up your sleeve.

Enter Cargo, an Australian production directed by Ben Howling and Yolanda Raines. Here the focus is on a father traversing the outback with a toddler in tow. Oh, and he is infected after a zombie bite and has 48 hours before turning. So, he is desperately looking for someone to care for his child before that happens. This story is juxtaposed with that of a young Aboriginal girl mostly seen at first running across the plains in wide sweeping shots. The connection between the two becomes clearer as the film moves forward.

Martin Freeman, as Andy, distinctly captures the essence of the average, nice guy rising to extraordinary circumstances. His cleverness is borne of necessity. If he was living in an average world, he would live an uncomplicated life, save for an intense devotion to his family.

Andy comes across the young aboriginal girl, Thoomi (the charismatic Simone Landers), attempting to escape from a particularly vicious individual who has been keeping her prisoner. Thoomie, who is on a quest to cure her infected father, Andy, and his daughter set off in the outback.

Zombie movies, for the most part, are the least sentimental of horror films. They generally essay the end of human civilization or the harshness of the aftermath. Cargo focuses on empathy, which gives it a bit of a different flavor. The ending is a real tearjerker, which die-hard horror fans may flinch at, but it’s earned.

That’s not to say you don’t get a solid dose of dread, if not much gore. It’s just that the filmmakers emphasize hope. That and Freeman’s performance make Cargo a worthy addition to the zombie genre.