R.T. Thorne’s directorial debut, 40 Acres, combines family drama, action, and the apocalypse into a thrilling package that shouldn’t be overlooked.
The Summer Movie Season always brings out the big guns when it comes to movie releases, and this month is no different. Between the new DC, Marvel, and Jurassic offerings it’s easy for some good films to slip through the cracks. 40 Acres is definitely among them, and deserves a chance to shine.
40 Acres
Directed By: R.T. Thorne
Written By: R.T. Thorne and Glenn Taylor
Starring: Danielle Deadwyler, Kataem O’Connor, Michael Greyeyes, Milcania Diaz-Rojas
Release Date: July 2, 2025
Set in the near future, 40 Acres takes place during a post-apocalypse where a series of plagues (and subsequent wars) have decimated the land. Food is scarce, and what workable farmland remains is a highly coveted resource. Veteran Hailey Freeman (Danielle Deadwyler) runs her family like the military, as they work the farm that’s been in her family since the end of the Civil War. Their training and vigilance comes in handy as they must always be on the lookout for raiders/newcomers who might want to take their farmland.
As is the case with many dystopian settings, the result is a somewhat isolated/lonely life for the characters involved. Hailey firmly believes no one outside of her family can be trusted and keeps the family relatively cloistered. It sounds harsh, but it’s managed to keep them alive while the world has fallen apart. Even so, her oldest child Emanuel (Kataem O’Connor) is beginning to chafe at the way his mother views the world.
As other nearby settlements/families begin to go silent, falling to a new, cannibalistic group of raiders, Emanuel’s need for more human contact could put the farm in jeopardy. When a simple scavenging excursion winds up with one of their family injured, and a young woman Emanuel’s age shows up looking for help, a series of events is set in motion that forces Hailey to rethink her perspective even as her worst fears come to pass.
On the whole, 40 Acres has a relatively straightforward plot, but the elements it weaves into its dystopian setting is what helps set it apart. At its core, it’s a very human story. Hailey’s struggles as a parent (even under the extreme circumstances) are easy to relate to. Her children/step-children experience their own growing pains, bouts of rebelliousness, and of course a desire to step out into the world for themselves.
These are all too familiar issues and offers a connection point to these characters despite the fantastical elements at play. The result is a journey that manages to be touching and emotional even within the backdrop of the extreme circumstances we witness. Especially considering the film is, ostensibly, an action-thriller; firmly establishing that aspect within its opening scene.
And yes, there is plenty of interesting action, and tension-filled sequences to keep you on the edge of your seat. It’s not the over-the-top/frenetic style of action, but solid, driven scenes that know how to build the tension and make the ensuing violence shock even without the flashiness. It’s much like how Rebel Ridge (another great movie) handled it’s action. It’s not John Wick, nor does it want to be, but is just incredibly well crafted and engaging.
Even as the stakes in the film continue to increase, and we begin to get more tidbits of past events, 40 Acres remains, impressively, laser focused on the specific story it wants to tell. It doesn’t get lost in its own lore/world-building, filling in unnecessary gaps or bogging things down in exposition. It very well could, as there’s some interesting elements introduced through its world-building. Instead, the post-apocalyptic setting simply exists. It feels as real as it needs to be, which allows the characters and story to stay at the forefront.
On a personal level, I was very pleasantly surprised with the character of Galen (Michael Greyeyes). He’s Hailey’s husband and also indigenous. He frequently talks in his native language, working to keep it alive and sharing it with his daughters, on top of keeping to some older tribal traditions. As a Native American myself, I understand the idea behind trying to keep the ways of our ancestors alive, even as the world works to wipe them away. It’s a thing we have to contend with in the real, modern day world.
As such, it hits particularly hard to see that same concept moved into an apocalyptic setting. It speaks to the determination of our people that even at the end of the world, we want to share our knowledge and history with the next generation. It’s an important theme the film plays with in other ways as well (especially since the farm has been in Hailey’s family since the end of the Civil War), and definitely took the story to a deeper level as I watched.
40 Acres may not be a genre-defining kind of film. It’s not exactly going to change the way post-apocalyptic movies are made/viewed…But it’s a damn fine movie that makes the most of its setting while offering engaging characters, thrilling moments, and some great performances.
