40 Acres (2025) Magnolia/Drama-Thriller RT: 108 minutes Rated R (strong bloody violent content and language) Director: R.T. Thorne Screenplay: R.T. Thorne and Glenn Taylor Music: Todor Kobakov Cinematography: Jeremy Benning Release date: July 2, 2025 (US) Cast: Danielle Deadwyler, Kataem O’Connor, Michael Greyeyes, Milcania Diaz-Rojas, Leenah Robinson, Jaeda LeBlanc, Haile Amare, Elizabeth Saunders, Tyrone Benskin, Patrick Garrow.
Rating: ***
The director of the post-apocalyptic drama-thriller 40 Acres is R.T. Thorne. It’s his first feature film. The Canadian filmmaker previously did music videos, short films and episodes of TV shows like Find Me in Paris, Utopia Falls and Degrassi: The Next Generation. I can’t speak to any of his other work, but he does a pretty good job with his debut film. It’s a flawed piece to be sure, but it’s a good start.
I cringe whenever I hear the term “post-apocalyptic”. My mind goes right to The Road (2009), a super-depressing drama I still can’t get out of my head after more than 15 years. Prior to The Road, I typically associated the term with the Mad Max movies. I wish I could reset my mind back to pre-2009. In any event, I wasn’t exactly psyched to see 40 Acres. It’s set in a decimated future where food is extremely scarce. Famine is everywhere. All the animals are dead and gone, killed by a plague. A second Civil War made things worse. The sole source of food is farms. The land is still arable so some people can grow their own food. This, of course, makes them targets.
The Freemans, headed by matriarch Hailey (Deadwyler, Till), have a farm in rural Canada. The former soldier’s ancestors settled there a few years after slavery was abolished. It’s been in the family all these years and Hailey refuses to give it up no matter who comes calling. She proves this in the opening sequence when she and the rest of her family- husband Galen (Greyeyes, Smoke Signals), eldest child Manny (O’Connor, Murdoch Mysteries), daughters Raine (Robinson, 1923), Danis (LeBlanc, Big Top Academy) and Cookie (Amare)- wipe out a horde of invaders. Man, this family can shoot!
Hailey and 18YO Manny have a rocky relationship. She’s a tough love mama which makes sense given their circumstances. He wants to be more independent, make his own decisions. Hailey doesn’t allow outsiders on her property. She’s a shoot first, skip the questions kind of lady. He hesitates which could end up being fatal in this version of the world.
One day while out on an errand, Manny goes for a swim in a river. That’s where he spots Dawn (Rojas, Homekilling Queen), a girl from a nearby commune run by fellow ex-soldier Augusta (Saunders, From). Being an 18YO virgin, he’s interested. His mom, of course, would never approve. Then one night, she shows up at the farm seeking help. I don’t want to give away too much, but I will say that the Freemans end up in a bloody fight with a band of cannibals.
What’s most interesting to me about 40 Acres is how Thorne builds a believable dystopian world, one that’s not inhabited by teens hunting each other or taking part in some big competition or whatever YA scenario is popular with teens these days. What’s depicted is very plausible. The end of the world could go down this way. It’s a frightening thought indeed, but 40 Acres doesn’t wallow in misery and despair like The Road. There is a small glimmer of hope in how Hailey’s family sticks together and fights for survival in a world where humanity is all but lost.
For the most part, 40 Acres is realistic, but not overly so. Thorne throws in a couple of decent action sequences and while they’re sufficiently exciting, it’s clear that he’s just using them to add more appeal for mainstream audiences looking for more action. I will admit the film has pacing issues, especially in the middle section, but it’s never actually boring. I found it all rather interesting, the family dynamics and their day-to-day life in a world at its end. I don’t think others will share my opinion.
Deadwyler delivers a tremendous performance as Hailey, a mom who rules with an iron fist because she loves her children. She’s teaching them to survive in a cruel, merciless world. In one memorable scene, she completely redefines a mother meeting her son’s girlfriend for the first time. Greyeyes is also quite good as the husband obsessed with collecting spices. He’s as handy with a knife in the kitchen as he is on the battlefield. O’Connor is quietly powerful as the son entering adulthood in a time when there’s no room to make mistakes.
I saw 40 Acres at an AMC Screen Unseen event. A lot of us were hoping for 28 Years Later, but we knew it would likely be a film we knew nothing about. I only heard of it in passing a few days before the screening. The audience seemed to like it okay. I didn’t hear too many complaints. I think it’s a good movie, but I don’t see it doing big business at the box office. It’s not the typical summer movie. Me, I say it’s worth a look. It might not have superheroes or dinosaurs, but it’s interesting nonetheless.
