THE STORY – In a post-apocalyptic future where food is scarce, the last descendants of a Black family of farmers who settled in Canada after the American Civil War must protect their homestead from an organized militia hell-bent on taking their land.
THE CAST – Danielle Deadwyler, Kataem O’Connor, Michael Greyeyes, Milcania Diaz-Rojas & Leenah Robinson
THE TEAM – R. T. Thorne (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 113 Minutes
From David Fincher to Spike Jonze to Antoine Fuqua, quite a few big-name directors have taken their talents from music videos to film. Having worked with artists like Drake and Snoop Dogg, R.T. Thorne is the latest director to take that swing. While he has directed episodes of TV shows like “Degrassi” and “The Porter,” “40 Acres” is his film debut. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, the film follows a family (led by Danielle Deadwyler and Michael Greyeyes) who fight to defend their land from those who would kill for it. An engrossing post-apocalyptic family drama mixed with a suspenseful thriller, Thorne weaves this narrative with concurrent and historical metaphors, delivering a solid debut that immediately creates anticipation for his next project.
The initial impression we get of the film’s matriarch, Hailey (Deadwyler), isn’t of a mother but a drill sergeant, and the army she’s in charge of is her four children. Along with her partner, Galen (Greyeyes), who met when they were both soldiers, Hailey puts their children through the same training they received – but this is necessary. From the film’s opening scenes, you know what this family is up against and see their skills as a unit in action. As an army of cannibals raids their farm, even the youngest member of the family has to know how to shoot a bullet to the head. The violence is brutal, and this family is forced to be an unconventional one as a matter of survival.
The 40-acre farm that this family, the Freemans, live on is all they have in a world decimated by famine. Hailey reminds her son, Manny (Kataem O’Connor), that their ancestors escaped a Georgia plantation to make a better life here on Canadian soil. This land belongs to them, and Hailey will stop at nothing to safeguard it so that her children can have the same happy memories she has of childhood, even when it feels like the world is ending.
As farms start to go dark and rumors swirl that families are being slaughtered, more incoming threats loom, and survival and protection of their farm become paramount more than ever. One thing that Hailey really wants her family to realize is that they can’t trust anyone. She has good reason for this, as even the Union army deployed to protect its citizens could be cannibalistic murderers in disguise. Still, this way of thinking is challenged by her eldest, Manny. It’s important to remember that these kids never had regular child/teenage experiences, so when Manny meets an outsider (Milcania Diaz-Rojas) for the first time, desire takes hold. The young woman doesn’t seem like a threat, and Manny begins to question his mother. “How are we supposed to survive without people,” he asks her. However, Manny’s defiance and desire for a connection could cost his family their lives.
“40 Acres” is a thrilling ride from start to finish. Tension lives in every moment, from violent run-ins with the enemy to family conversations at the dinner table. Stakes are incredibly high, but Hailey learns that no matter how hard she tries, protecting her family from everything she perceives as a threat is impossible. Her character is the film’s badass backbone, and it’s interesting to see how an incredibly hardened woman slowly softens as the film goes on. Greyeyes is also fantastic here, bringing some levity to the piece with a more comedic role. The use of flashbacks brings a greater understanding of the bond between Hailey and her son, but unfortunately, the rest of the characters aren’t given the same depth. However, they work beautifully as a unit, and when they are separated in the third act, it becomes much more stressful.
“40 Acres” increasingly makes you question if the characters will make it out of this film alive, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. There are also some great action scenes, which ramp up the tension. Specifically, scenes shot in darkness are only illuminated by sparks of gunfire or shot on a foggy night where you don’t know where the enemy is coming from. Despite some unnecessary chapter divides that interrupt the film’s flow (at times), R.T. Thorne presents a gripping first feature that places Black and Indigenous characters at its center to bring a greater historical context to a story, begging the question of what we would do to protect the ones we love.
