Film Review: Live Cargo

Live Cargo is an unusual and fascinating film about a young couple who arrive at small island in the Bahamas to regroup after a personal tragedy, and soon discover the people there have their own troubles. It is presented in black and white, which instead of capitalizing on the island’s beauty, on the setting, focuses our attention on the people and their daily activities. The film has a quiet intensity, helped by some excellent performances by the main cast members, including Dree Hemingway as Nadine, Keith Stanfield as Lewis, Leonard Earl Howze as Doughboy, Sam Dillon as Myron and – perhaps especially – by Robert Ray Wisdom as Roy.

The film opens with images of nature – a gathering storm, powerful waves crashing on the shore – mixed with close-ups of human faces, and the unspoken drama contained within those faces. It has an intense feel right from the start. Nadine and Lewis arrive on the island and stay at a house that her family owns there. We’re introduced to Doughboy, who owns the boat shuttling people to the island, and Myron, a young and vulnerable man who feels out of place, but who works for Doughboy. And we meet Roy, a friend of Nadine’s family, and by far the most immediately likeable character in the film. You sense straight away that he is the character we’ll rely on to get us through the storm.

We learn that there is some trouble with Doughboy taking business from others on the island, but that may be the least of his transgressions. And before we learn precisely what he’s doing, there is a scene with Doughboy and his young daughter, in which he tells her, “You know, everything I do, I do for you.” It’s interesting to see him as a father, though the scene comes out of nowhere and leads nowhere, and so feels added in. Yet, it does make us wonder if he feels guilty about what he’s doing. There is another moment later on, where Doughboy mentions to Myron that everyone looks out for himself, which seems like he’s justifying actions that give him feelings of guilt.

The mood of this film is unsettling and compelling. There are lots of quiet, personal moments, showing a lack of communication among characters. There are some great scenes where the images and music tell the story and convey the mood, with no dialogue. (There are also some wonderful underwater shots, including footage with a shark.) And it all leads to one event that will change things for every character.

Live Cargo was directed by Logan Sandler, who also co-wrote the script with Thymaya Payne. It premiered in New York on March 31, 2017, and in Los Angeles on April 7.