40 Acres

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://fandomwire.com/40-acres-review/

"40 Acres is an impressive debut from R.T. Thorne, demonstrating remarkable control over both the technical and thematic elements of the work.

Although set within the post-apocalyptic genre, it transcends its boundaries by offering a deep character study and a relevant social analysis. Anchored by a magnetic performance from Danielle Deadwyler and a high-caliber technical and artistic team, this is one of the year's most surprisingly memorable films.

A testament to resilience, belonging, and the fight for a place - both physical and symbolic - in a collapsing world."

Rating: A-

Films about dystopian futures are getting more popular these days (are they trying to tell us something?), but they’re not all created equal, and this debut feature from writer-director R.T. Thorne is one of those that doesn’t quite cut it. The picture’s intriguing premise starts off with considerable potential but, regrettably, as it unfolds, it loses traction, meanders, repeats itself, and unsuccessfully tries to fuse changes in tone and direction that don’t mesh. In a world ravaged by a deadly fungal pandemic, civil war and famine, humanity’s remnants struggle to stay alive, with farmland having become the most precious and priceless commodity. But holding on to this resource has become challenging given the rise of roaming bands of marauders seeking to steal it from its owners at any cost. Such is the experience of the Freemans, a family of African-Americans descended from Civil War survivors who migrated north to Canada after the conflict and settled on a lush parcel of land that has been in their possession for generations. Under present conditions, however, they must fight to retain it, combatting the invasively cunning intruders with same the same forcefulness and guile used by the would-be thieves. Leading these preventive efforts are parents Hailey (Danielle Deadwyler) and Galen (Michael Greyeyes) and their four children. They’ve trained the youngsters to be diligent and disciplined, which has helped to keep the farm productive and protected. But now, with the growing outside menace threatening them, they must be more vigilant than ever, a challenge considering the growing independence and unreliability of their eldest, Manny (Kataem O’Connor). As he comes of age, Manny has been increasingly looking to find his own path, one that frequently distracts him and doesn’t always align with the family’s objectives. And, as matters intensify, the Freemans are thus placed in ever greater peril. The depiction of that peril, however, becomes redundant, tedious and du...