With a title like 40 Acres, I was worried it would be another horror film filled with race porn. Many of us know the promise of 40 Acres and a Mule (if not, please educate yourself). So, when I saw that 40 Acres was about a Black family with the late Freeman, it painted a picture I didn't want to see, even before the synopsis mentioned the Civil War. But I'm happy to report it's not the new Antebellum or the new Alice. Despite how it's marketed, 40 Acres is actually a slow-paced family drama with occasional violence.
Hailey Freeman (Danielle Deadwyler) is a former soldier living with her family on highly coveted farmland. In this post-apocalyptic nightmare, the most valuable resource is land, and people are willing to die for it. Hailey has trained her family to work together to protect their land and each other at all costs. However, when a roving band of cannibals begins ravaging neighboring farms, the family discovers they're not as prepared as they thought.
Director: R.T. Thorne
Writers: R.T. Thorne, Glenn Taylor, Lora Campbell
Stars: Danielle Deadwyler, Kataem O'Connor, Michael Greyeyes
Deadwyler is, as always, the star of the film. Even a casual moviegoer knows she's an actress who deserves more recognition. In fact, many of us want to see her break out of the mold the industry tries to force her into. So, while 40 Acres isn't a perfect film, it's refreshing to see her play a badass. I'd love to see more Black women in their 40s star in more thrillers.
If this film had upped the ante for the Freemans or even stepped on the gas a bit, it could have been a milestone. At the very least, this title proves that Deadwyler should be considered for more action roles in the genre. She fights for her life to keep Hailey from being one-dimensional. I'm sure few actors could have made her as intriguing as Deadwyler.
The script by R.T. Thorne and Glenn Taylor has a brilliant concept at its core. It also includes endearing characters in this small world. However, at no point did it feel like anyone was actually in danger. This is reinforced by the heartfelt conversation between mother and son amidst the violence, where he tells him it's time to find his own way. While 40 Acres has the makings of a sci-fi epic and offers a glimpse into how sinister cannibals can be, it focuses more on family dynamics. Specifically, on the story of Emanuel (Kataem O'Connor) as the eldest Freeman son. He makes the worst decisions while trying to assert his independence, which leads the film to the predictable beats we've come to expect. We also repeatedly take the scenic route to uncover the obvious things we've already observed about his character.
40 Acres is so wrapped up in melodrama that it never unleashes the cannibalistic activity it promised. We see hints of what has happened on other farms and we see them attack a character. But overall, it's almost forgotten that these aren't just ordinary people fighting for their land. The one I assume is the leader of the cannibals only has two scenes and dies so quickly that I wondered if a bigger threat was looming. It's crazy, because if you promise cannibals, you have a natural way of generating controversy. Or, at the very least, giving us something macabre and disgusting to talk about in the cafeteria. Instead, this film uses cannibalism as a background threat to force mother and son to talk about their feelings and bring the family together.
I appreciate that 40 Acres puts a blended family at the center of the action. The importance of a Black and Indigenous family fighting for their land isn't lost on me. Hailey's husband, Galen (Michael Greyeyes), makes sure his children speak the language of their ancestors and even has a funny moment where he reminds them of where they came from.
When the family is torn apart by the obvious trap Emanuel falls into, Galen also has the opportunity to prove he's just as brave as his wife by protecting their home and their remaining children. In fact, he stages the coolest battle in the film, where he single-handedly defeats a group of cannibals in the dark. I love this for him, and I wish there had been more memorable battles like this in the film.
40 Acres isn't the worst movie I've ever seen. It's just not as memorable as it could be. However, it's great to see Black and Indigenous actors at the center of a post-apocalyptic world. We've been partners for too long, and I like that this movie took us to the front of the line. I'm also grateful that it didn't go the way the title and synopsis led us to believe. If you want to see Danielle Deadwyler remind you why she stays busy and private, this show might be worth checking out.
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