Kaydan Christian
A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
Fatma Suarez
The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful
Marva
It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
microlimon
Enjoyed this piece of cinematic filmmaking quite a bit. Unique characters and well acted performances. It's a very fresh take on noir, in a rarely seen setting with a hint of Terrence Malick vibes. The storms throughout the film are magnificent and can't forget the underwater sequence with the shark!
LeeAnnMovieCritic1
One of the boldest debut films in recent memory. Caught this gem in VOD. Live Cargo played on the festival circuit for the last year since it's Tribeca Film Festival premiere in 2016. I have not seen such an artful movie come out of the Caribbean region in years. I would compare it in many ways to the 60s classic "I Am Cuba." Mainly, due to it's artistic merit and the black and white photography. This film is heavy on style, as it seemingly transported me to it's own unique cinematic realm. The visuals are beautiful, but so is the score and source music. The editing is flawless and I was pulled into the story so deeply that I forgot I was watching a movie. I was totally hooked. The director does a great job with the actors. I cannot recall a moment that felt false or poorly acted. Stanfield is great here. I have read the director Sandler and actor Stanfield have worked together prior. I would love to see them hopefully work again. Also, the most unforgettable performance in my opinion was the mysterious Myron played by relative newcomer Sam Dillon. He has such a haunting look and is able to get across his emotions with a subtle glance. The film is very mysterious and leaves some things open to interpretation, but with that I never once felt short on details or left confused - it was always clear what was really happening. That is what makes the film special and unique. There is a real sense of style with how the narrative reveals itself to the audience. I was never spoon fed, Sandler seems to respect his audience's intelligence. Seek this film out.
CinemaMatador5
Live Cargo is timeless. Loved this moody and mythic film. Although it is a tragedy, there is something very sexy about Live Cargo. The film seems to be layered in symbols and metaphors. It just as much a movie as it is a poem. That is not to say it was not thrilling. Their is some intriguing noir like elements embedded in the film. Some brilliant foreshadowing is trickled through out, but that is all that I will say in regards to that. Stunned to see that this was Logan Sandler (director + co-writer) first film. Wow, okay. Cinema is not dead! This new director could be become the bad boy of tropic cinema. Cinematographer Daniella Nowitz is surely on this rise after this. Loved Dree Hemingway as Nadine. Have not seen her in this big of a role since Starlet. She is ready for something major! I will say that this film feels a bit under the radar and with this type of vision, I would say that it is shamefully underrated / unknown. If you love cinema, then this will be a great viewing experience. This film is a lesson in thoughtful movie-making!
tsimshotsui
Live Cargo has interesting and relevant topics somewhere in there, but director Logan Sandler chooses to magnify the wrong ones. The film focuses on an interracial couple who just went through a tragedy, and, while in the process of grief, returns to the Bahamian island where the woman, Nadine (played by Dree Hemingway) grew up in. She apparently sort of grew up with the island's mayor (Roy). Lakeith Stanfield's character, Lewis, is uneasy in the island, and just wants to try to rekindle the flame with his wife. His wife is not quite ready though. The film spends most of the time with grieving Nadine. The more interesting story line involves Roy, a man called Doughboy, and news of the increasing number of lost and/or dead bodies in the ocean shared via radio. With all this, somehow we spend a lot of time with this young man called Myron (Sam Dillon). The film is difficult to get through. One reason is the consistently heavy tone with little essence to back it up. The director was also incapable of juggling all of these themes and story lines well. He spends way too long a time on the least interesting characters, thus spreading them too thin, and then leaving the more interesting parts unexplored and badly and/or too swiftly handled. I'm troubled with how the story about the couple ended, frankly: how we got there and how the filmmakers came up with that end point. It feels cheap and insulting. The cinematography by Daniella Nowitz is one of the high points of the film. Some stunning shots underwater were my favorite. Lakeith Stanfield is always great, and still way underused here. The lead credit is misleading. Robert Wisdom and Leonard Earl Howze were fantastic.
