40 ACRES Review: A Family Defends Against Deadly Incursion In This Dystopian Horror

In a future where society has crumbled following decades of famine and disease, one black Canadian family defends their homestead against incursion by scavengers in R.T. Thorne’s invigorating debut feature, 40 Acres.

Hailey Freeman (Danielle Deadwyler) has seen some shit. A former soldier, Hailey and the Freeman clan have managed to carve out a modest farm homestead in a world where food is scarce and fertile farmland is a precious commodity. Along with her partner First Nations Galen (Michael Greyeyes) and their children, the Freemans work the land, protect the land, and very deliberately cultivate their land and the routines required to maintain it in this precarious dystopia.

There isn’t much of a society left to cling to in these dark days, and among those who have given up civility altogether is a roaming band of cannibals who prey upon families like the Freemans. It was only a matter of time before it was their turn to fall under the nefarious, ravenous eyes of these nomads, and when the fight comes it comes fast and furious, sending the Freemans into anti-siege mode with gruesome and often viscerally violent results.

An obvious reference to the failed promise of General Sherman following the completion of the US Civil War that former slaves were entitled to 40 acres and a mule upon their release from bondage, Thorne’s film returns that agency to a family from whose legacy more was taken than can possibly be replaced.

It’s no accident that the heroes in our story are black and First Nations, both communities destroyed by American imperialism and the slave trade, and it’s also no accident that those who seek to devour them are largely white aggressors who see their work and their bodies and solely designed for consumption. It’s a fairly blunt metaphor, but thankfully it is propped up by exceptional performances and action all around.

Deadwyler takes the lead in the film, with a steely-eyed reserve that belies a deep love for her family and what modest living they’ve built for themselves. She will stop at nothing to maintain their safety, often in conflict with larger emotional complications that seem to be perpetually spawning in this battle.

Thorne makes the most of his feature debut, after over two decades in music video and television, he has developed a keen eye and narrative sense. 40 Acres isn’t breaking any particularly new ground, and it does little to mask its greater cultural and political perspectives, but what it does do is create a believable world in which characters act in believable ways with whom the audience can empathize, even when we don’t agree. A tricky job done quite well, making 40 Acres a solid entry in the dystopian horror canon as well as a calling card for a filmmaker who is just beginning his journey in features