Given the real-life horrors of a global pandemic and an increasingly hostile socio-political climate, it’s no wonder that post-apocalyptic fiction is as en vogue as ever, with recent notable films as Elevation, the Quiet Place trilogy, and HBO’s The Last of Us series currently at the fore of the subgenre. Art is having a blast imitating life, and next up is 40 Acres, the feature debut of writer/director R.T. Thorne. Imagining a world in total ruin following the traumatic loss of nearly all animal life, the most obvious initial drawback is that the director does not nearly have the budget to realize the available scope of this potentially epic scenario, and so instead largely confines the proceedings to a single location. Market saturation is also an issue, with many of 40 Acres elements feeling largely derivative of other films that have preceded it. But what Thorne does have is a strong sense of character, favoring a more intimate approach to focus his efforts on the indomitable spirit of a single family that has survived where the world has not. 40 Acres supplies the requisite genre thrills, but is actually more interested in the study of dramatic interpersonal relations, and the way people attempt to maintain a life of normalcy as danger lurks around every corner.
An opening text crawl informs us that 14 years ago, 98% of the world’s fauna was decimated by an ecological disaster. The ensuing global food shortage sparked a second Civil War, with famine driving the most desperate to cannibalism. In rural Canada, the Freemans have endured this harsh new world by keeping to their self-sustaining farm, a secured, fenced-in property passed down from African American farmers who had settled there in the 1870s. De facto mother Hailey (Danielle Deadwyler) and father Galen (Michael Greyeyes) uphold routines of schooling and domesticity, ensuring that Manny (Kataem O’Connor), Raine (Leenah Robinson), and Danis (Jaeda LeBlanc) receive a proper education despite a seemingly improbable future. Meanwhile, Manny grows increasingly curious about the outside world — as older teens in these speculative scenarios are wont to do — finding himself drawn to Dawn (Milcania Diaz-Rojas), a young woman he spies on his hunting excursions. When Dawn shows up at the Freeman’s farm, injured by unseen forces, Manny brings her inside, which threatens to disrupt the Freemans’ lives and put everyone in grave danger.
Thorne is superb with introductions, plunging the audience into the immediate nightmare of 40 Acres’ reality, orchestrating a thrilling opening sequence that finds a gang of terrifying, heavily-armed cannibals infiltrating the Freeman farm, seeking out food and supplies. Their mission is cut short, as the Freeman family demonstrates their skills of combat and coordinated attack to defend their land, slaying all incoming foes with ease. This sequence is also the first of several learning moments for the Freeman kids, with the number one lesson being never to waste a bullet when a knife will do the trick. Thorne then steps away from violence for a while, delving into the daily schedule and rhythms of the Freemans, who fill their days with cooking, cleaning, schooling, and manual labor on the farm, all managed by the genial Galen and no-nonsense, tough-as-nails Hailey. From here, 40 Acres is separated into chapters, navigating an achronological structure to gradually reveal histories and motives prior to the collapse of humanity, as Hailey, a former soldier, struggles to reintegrate back into civilization, breaking down the wall between herself and Manny, her own biological son.
At nearly two hours in length, 40 Acres does suffer from drag in its midsection, slowing the pace to a crawl while the Freemans work out how to deal with the Dawn situation — which is already a familiar development for films where hunkering down is the survival strategy of choice. Visually speaking, the film doesn’t offer anything new or innovative in the realm of post-apocalyptic thrillers; if you’ve seen one person trekking through a heavily wooded area with a rifle, you’ve seen them all. Thankfully, Thorne does bounce back for a climactic showdown, entering siege mode to pit the blended family of African American and Indigenous Freemans against an invading horde of White cannibals. It’s a potent and stimulating third act, sold with conviction and cathartic sequences of violence, including one nifty shootout that occurs in pitch-blackness as the action is illuminated solely by muzzle flashes. And all of this is aided by uniformly strong performances, though the film belongs to Deadwyler, who commands the screen with terrific work as a vengeful matriarch, turning in one of the most compelling performances of the year. So while 40 Acres has its undeniable limitations, Thorne mitigates flaws both fiscal and conceptual through sturdy execution, delivering a genuinely arresting look at what life might look like after everything finally — or, further — goes to hell.
Published as part of Overlook Film Fest 2025.
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