'Cargo' has a slow pace but it's an intelligent film

Cargo is a fascinating and subtle blend of science fiction and mythology. It is a charming and honest film!

Set in 2027, the film introduces us to a world where humans (referred to as Cargos) die and arrive at a spaceship to be prepared for reincarnation. A new species called the ‘Homo Rakshasas,’ who are descendants of mythical demons have signed a Rakshas Manushya Peace Treaty with humans to change the experience of deceased humans post death.

Prahastha (played by Vikrant Massey) manages the operations in one of the spaceships named ‘Pushpak 634-A.’ He has lived alone on the spaceship for nearly 75 years, tediously following the same protocols of transitioning the dead day after day, year after year.

After decades of working alone, he is assigned an assistant Yuvishka (played by Shweta Tripathi) to join him on-board. She is a valedictorian from the ‘National Technology of Transition University’ and an asset to Prahastha’s team as she possesses healing powers to help humans.

Cargo has a slow pace which may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the mood and nuanced texture of the film keeps you hooked. It draws you into its world.

Though the film is set in the future, various features and props are visibly dated.

For example, the old-school TV set used for communication, the transistor radio, controllers on the machines, and receipt printers used for daily list of deaths on schedule.

This is perhaps a representation Prahastha’s his character – a man who is evidently living in the past.

He’s lived in the future (space) for 75 years but still writes to the woman he loved eons ago, the norms of gender equality in the workforce are alien to him, and he is unfamiliar with the world of social media.

The screenplay takes time to unfold and peel the various layers. However, it doesn’t elaborate on the intricate details & wry humor, which could’ve helped make up for its pace.

Cargo leaves a lot of questions unanswered such as how do the new-age demons get their superpowers or what happens to the souls in transition? What is the average lifespan of demons? Can humans and demons co-exist on Earth? Why hasn’t life on Earth / India changed at all in the future? …

Typically when a film has an ambiguous ending, it feels unfinished. But for some odd reason Cargo feels fine.

It leaves you with light numbing calmness.

It essentially becomes a story about evolution and the cycle of life – somethings have to end to make way for new beginnings.

That is also metaphorically depicted through the reincarnations of the cargos (humans) and even Prahastha’s retirement followed by Yuvishka’s role on ‘Pushpak 634-A.’