40 ACRES – Review by Lynn Venhaus
Gritty and gripping, 40 Acres is set in a grim post-apocalyptic world where the battleground is a family farm. Those who have survived a famine and second Civil War are not fighting zombies, aliens or nuclear fallout, but other humans with self-preservation on their mind.
In other words, we are going to see the worst of humanity and the best of humanity, a common theme these days that appears to be hitting closer to home.
At the onset, title cards tell us that a fungus pandemic killed 98% of the animal biosphere. That was 14 years earlier, thus sparked a food disaster, followed by a war two years later, then a global famine.
The most precious commodity is farmland, where people can grow food. And people want it, at all costs.
In his feature film debut, R.T. Thorne directed and co-wrote this dramatic sci-fi thriller with Glenn Taylor and Lora Campbell. They focus on a tight-knit black family descended from first American Civil War migrants who are trying to protect their homestead, where ancestors settled in 1875 in bucolic Canada.
The tough-as-nails Mom boss Hailey, an ex-soldier, is played with customary fortitude by Danielle Deadwyler. Along with her husband Galen (Michael Greyeyes), they have trained their four children for combat and tending to chores.
Dutiful, obedient and fearless marksmen, the kids are insulated from the outside world. They are able to carve their own identities in the interactions we see, mostly around the dinner table.
Kateam O’Connor is eldest son Emanuel, and his sisters are Leenah Robinson as Raine, Jaeda LeBlanc as Danis and Haile Amre as Cookie. And thankfully, they act like siblings, with ribbing, too, not always so serious.
The Freemans farm is a fortress that outside raiders enter at their own peril. While the family doesn’t go outside the barb-wire fences, Hailey keeps in contact with certain neighbors, just as vigilant, on a ham radio.
The traditions of their ancestors – black and indigenous – is very important to the parents, who try to instill those values in their children. The cultural aspect of the story sets it apart.
This may sound idyllic, but it’s not. Trying to protect their resources, the Freemans are under constant threat and tension is high. Thorne builds suspense like a master.
Emanuel, “Manny,” a curious lad who is actually Hailey’s son from a previous relationship, is itching to explore the outside world, and sneaks away into the woods. He spies on a young woman swimming, Dawn (Milcania Diaz-Rojas).
He has contact with her again when she shows up outside their fence seeking help, so he hides her in a barn, knowing that his mother would shoot first and ask questions later. Questions about trust are raised.
Of course, teenagers from very different families have fueled plotlines from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet to fairy tales to musicals like The Fantasticks and yes, even the Twilight saga. We’re drawn to those clashes because of everyone’s desire for connection. However, this is just a small, but integral, part of this tale.
The film, which premiered at the 2024 Toronto Film Festival and released by Magnolia Pictures July 2, is a different take on what could happen when guardrails collapse, and disease and disasters take their toll. Sadly, this is not so far-fetched any longer.
The film’s structure is that of chapters. One of the most interesting is about Augusta Taylor, a white neighbor who bonded with Hailey. The excellent character actress Elizabeth Saunders is a warrior-protector like the Freemans.
As is typical of a first feature, the co-writers have a lot to say and try to include as many threads as possible to weave their tapestry. The topic is bleak, and the violence is brutal, but realistic in its pragmatism.
While the writers, director and principal cast show much promise with this effort, there are pacing issues, with its slow-build – and its world-building. It takes a while to kick in with the major conflicts.
The family learns of mysterious neighbors’ deaths at the hands of marauding cannibals, and this is when the movie intensifies with a climactic showdown, with lots o’ slicing and dicing, and artillery.
Deadwyler, impressive in Till and The Piano Lesson, and even funny in an appearance on The Bear season 4 episode Worms, is ferocious as a Mama Bear, a warrior ready to protect her family every moment. Her offspring are equally strong, and the performances elevate the material at its most predictable.
The cinematography by Jeremy Benning is also noteworthy, capturing the beauty of the natural landscape while building the tension with the lurking dangers at night.
The magazine cover image of a loving family has changed over many decades since Norman Rockwell’s iconic 1943 painting Freedom from Want, aka The Thanksgiving Picture, but that meaning translates through multiple generations and still applies, as you’ll see in this sturdy film.
Rated R for strong bloody violent content and language. Runtime is 1 hour, 53 minutes.
