This year, I was honoured (yes, that is the correct term) to review two outstanding, well-written and well-acted thrillers. The first one was Sinners, and now I can’t wait to tell you about R.T. Thorne’s directorial debut film, 40 Acres.
40 Acres
When Andy sent me 40 Acres to review, I did not expect to be shaken to my very soul. Within the first fifteen minutes of the film, I had a “WTF am I watching” feeling of recognition — and I am saying “WTF” in a complimentary way. Like the film, Sinners, 40 Acres incorporates Black history within the confines of apocalyptic events. 40 Acres is a 2024 Canadian post-apocalyptic thriller written and directed by R. T. Thorne and starring Danielle Deadwyler, Kataem O’Connor, Michael Greyeyes, Jaeda LeBlanc, Milcania Diaz-Rojas, Leenah Robinson, and the fabulous Elizabeth Saunders.
Hailey Freeman (Danielle Deadwyler) is a matriarch of descendants of African American farmers who settled in Canada right after the first Civil War. The name Freeman and the term 40 acres have historic significance. Freeman was often adopted as a surname after emancipation to signify freedom from slavery. The history of 40 acres and a mule refers to the promise made during the Reconstruction era to newly freed enslaved people, specifically involving the distribution of land and resources to foster economic independence.
40 Acres begins with some background information scrolling across the screen as to why the world is barely surviving after a fungal pandemic killed almost all the animals, followed by a second civil war and worldwide famine. While we try to delve into the background story, a group of men walk through a huge cornfield towards a farmhouse. What these invaders do not realize is that the farm is protected by two adults, Hailey Freeman (Danielle Deadwyler) and Galen (Michael Greyeyes) and four children: Emanuel (Kataem O’ Connor), Danis (Jaeda LeBlanc), Raine (Leenah Robinson), and Cookie (Haile Amare).
The Freemans keep their farm safe with military precision, and that is because both Hailey and Galen are former Marines…but more importantly, both carry their ancestors’ knowledge of living off the land. The Freemans trade with the other surviving farmers in the area, with Hailey and her neighbour, Augusta Taylor (Elizabeth Saunders), keeping a watchful eye out for danger via shortwave radio and security cameras. Hailey is very protective of her family and her land, and she raises the children in a military fashion using whistling and Cree language to confuse any intruders that are stupid enough to cross the borderline.
But Hailey can’t control the heart of her son, Emanuel, after he falls in love with a stranger (Milcania Diaz-Rojas) on one of his scouting trips. The boy’s need for human contact has now placed his whole family in jeopardy.
Conclusion
There are very few films that cause me to exclaim, WTF! Like I said at the beginning of this review, this exclamation is a complimentary term of endearment, especially since I was not prepared for the excellent storytelling of 40 Acres. Like the film Sinners, 40 Acres tells an ancestral story of our nation’s treatment of people of colour and immigrants, but the story is told through the structure of a horror tale. Yes, there are monsters in this film, and they are scarier than any alien creature. They aren’t zombies, but they might as well be.
Danielle Deadwyler is the hero of this film, and I love movies where women are the guiding light that saves the day, especially because Deadwyler’s character, Hailey, is so damn believable. In my seventy-eight years on this planet, I have met many women like Hailey Freeman. I would trust my life and my grandbabies’ lives to someone like Hailey Freeman…because there are monsters in this world…and some of them are in charge of governments.
I highly recommend you watch 40 Acres. The film is released in theatres in August 2025 in the UK and will be on digital platforms after August 4th.
