40 Acres
The feature directorial and writing debut of RT Thorne, 40 Acres tells the story of the Freemans, a family living on an isolated farm in rural Canada, 14 years after a fungal pandemic caused a global food chain collapse, resulting in farmland becoming the world’s most valuable resource. Former soldier Hailey Freeman (Danielle Deadwyler) and her family defend their precious farm fiercely, with Hailey adopting an isolationist attitude to prevent any unwanted attention. However, this causes tension between her and her eldest child, Manny (Kataem O’Connor), and when a pack of roving cannibals begin taking farms in the area, this relationship is tested to its breaking point – with potentially deadly consequences.
The dynamic between Hailey and Manney is the core of the film and is elevated significantly by Deadwyler’s performance as Hailey. She’s a magnetic presence, stealing every scene she’s in with a deep and complex emotional range that strengthens the central tension between Hailey and Manny and enriches the piece’s wider storytelling. That’s not to say her costars don’t also do a good job – in fact, the wider ensemble cast bounce off Deadwyler’s performances excellently, providing moments of levity to give the story some breathing room or bringing out new facets of the central conflict (particularly Michael Greyeyes as Hailey’s husband Galen) – but this movie lives and dies on the acting chops of its leading lady, and Deadwyler more than rises to the occasion.
The flick’s plot is perhaps a little straightforward, but not to its detriment – this sort of teenage rebellion story has been done before, but is done well here. This simplicity also gives the piece’s more narratively ambitious undercurrents room to shine, using its accessible premise as a springboard to ease its audience into deep, complicated questions about generational trauma, land, colonialism and cultural identity, among other things.
40 Acres is also a great showcase of Thorne’s skills as a director, with cinematography and sound design that create a constant sense of claustrophobic danger and tension. The action scenes are also fantastic; brutal, exhilarating and creative.
Overall, 40 Acres is a strong debut for Thorne as a director and a writer, treading familiar ground but doing so with tons of passion and ambition on display. It’s not reinventing the wheel, but it brings some fascinating ideas to the table and provides a solid foundation for Thorne to build on in projects to come.
Umar Ali
40 Acres is released nationwide and on digital platforms on 4th August 2025.
Watch the trailer for 40 Acres here:
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