LIVE CARGO American Independents

Nadine and Lewis, a young couple grieving after a terrible loss, escape to the Bahamas, where Nadine frequently spent time as a child. Though welcoming faces greet them, it’s soon clear that director Logan Sandler’s (AFI Class of 2014) feature debut is not content to frame its location as a carefree getaway. Cinematographer Daniella Nowitz (AFI Class of 2014) paradoxically captures the island’s grandeur — from stunning underwater diving sessions to portentous nighttime lightning storms—in stark black and white, allowing Sandler to reveal the simmering tensions, stalled aspirations and dark secrets that infect the local population. We meet the town’s gregarious mayor, a destitute young drifter desperate for a change, and the mayor’s business rival, whose moneymaking ventures range from irresponsible to criminal. Tragedy is on the horizon, but Sandler shows how each character’s richly realized inner turmoil leads them to respond in surprising ways. — Mike Dougherty