Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    HORRORSCREAMS VIDEOVAULT – SUPPORTING INDEPENDENT HORROR
    • Home
    • Film Reviews
      • Films Beginning With Numbers or Symbols
      • A – C
      • D – F
      • G – I
      • J – L
      • M – O
      • P – R
      • S – U
      • V – X
      • Y – Z
    • Book Reviews
    • Franchise Corner
    • Competitions
    • Horror Screams Podcast
    • Contact Us
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    HORRORSCREAMS VIDEOVAULT – SUPPORTING INDEPENDENT HORROR

    Film Review: CARGA (2018)

    Peter 'Witchfinder' HopkinsBy Peter 'Witchfinder' Hopkins20th September 2019No Comments2 Mins Read

    CARGA **** Portugal 2018 Dir: Bruno Gascon. 113 mins

    Writer-director Bruno Gascon’s feature debut begins and ends with text reminders that CARGA tells an all too real tale – specifically of the enduring problem of sex trafficking in Portugal in the context of economic crisis, poverty and post-USSR migration. Against this backdrop, a young woman (Michalina Olszanska) is transported across the border by an ageing truck driver (Vitor Norte), delivering her to the human trafficking ring overseen by Dmitry Bogomolov, whose younger sister (also played by Olszanska) helps with the operation. Stripped of her identification and shut in a cell, our protagonist waits to be sold alongside an interchangeable group of other unfortunate young women. If early 21st century U.S. horror made us numb to grungily-lit torture chambers and the prolonged suffering of attractive (typically white) American men and women in some foreign clime, CARGA doesn’t wallow in its horrors but packs an immense punch by conveying the omnipresent threat of violence and a pervasive sense of hopelessness. The on-screen violence is brief, shocking and callous, with a gruelling, non-exploitative rape scene, but the intensity stems largely from being immersed in a microcosm of the wider problem as we watch these women objectified, stripped physically and mentally of their humanity for the sake of profit. The film exists in a world where the most comforting thing anyone can find to say is “Sometimes their dicks are smaller than a fucking tampon”. One sequence is literally an extended howl of despair as we realise what is at stake for Norte’s character: his complicity in these horrific events balanced by the dire threat posed to his own wife and granddaughter if he breaks free. Olszanska’s brave, riveting performances galvanise this sombre picture, in which even the faintest flicker of hope at the end is extinguished by the reminder that “It could be you”.

    Review by Steven West

    Facebook0Like0Share0Tweet0Pin0
    Breaking Glass Pictures Bruno Gascon Carga Drama

    Related Posts

    Film Review: A FERAL WORLD (2020)

    10th May 202203 Mins Read
    Read More

    Second Sight Films release Lake Mungo on Standard Edition Blu-ray

    3rd May 202202 Mins Read
    Read More

    Film Review: FLEE THE LIGHT (2021)

    20th February 202203 Mins Read
    Read More

    Acclaimed and Visionary THE WANTING MARE available now

    10th February 202201 Min Read
    Read More

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    You must be logged in to post a comment.

    Search The Website
    Recent Posts
    • Wyrmwood: Apocalypse the Zombie thrill-ride sequel gets Home Entertainment release this May
    • HORROR SCREAMS PODCAST: Episode 29 – I Walked With ROB ZOMBIE
    • Film Review: ENDANGERED SPECIES (2021)
    • Film Review: JAKOB’S WIFE (2021)
    • Film Review: SEANCE (2021)
    Archives
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.