40 Acres review: A gripping post-apocalyptic thriller
Danielle Deadwyler first came onto my radar with Till and The Harder They Fall a few years ago, and she has continued to impress me with her performances, and 40 Acres is no exception.
This post-apocalyptic thriller is set 14 years after a fungal pandemic wiped out most of the animal biosphere. Half the world is starving, and the most valuable resource is farmland, meaning those with farms have to defend their property from outside threats, like home invaders and cannibals. The Freemans, led by no-nonsense matriarch Hailey (Deadwyler), are no longer just farmers; they are effectively soldiers who must always be ready to protect their home by any means necessary.
The children aren’t allowed to be kids and have fun or freedom, and Hailey’s son Manny (Kataem O’Connor) is starting to feel suffocated. He’s fed up of hanging out with his family and wants to expand his social pool, despite his mum’s distrust of outsiders. He breaks one of the family rules and puts their whole operation at risk by befriending an outsider.
The action-packed opening sequence is awesome, and I knew instantly that 40 Acres was a film for me. A group of outsiders walk through the cornfields, planning to take over the farm, but the Freemans are organised and prepared, and they wipe them out in no time. They are very capable (even the little Cookie!) and are not to be messed with. Hell yeah!
The film is bookended by violent, bloody and action-heavy sequences, with the third act building to a thrilling and thoroughly enjoyable finale. However, the bulk of it in the middle is more of a domestic family drama. We follow Hailey, Manny, her husband Galen (Michael Greyeyes) and their kids Raine (Leenah Robinson), Danis (Jaeda LeBlanc) and Cookie (Hailey Amare) as they go about their day, tending to the farm, doing survival training, checking perimeter fences and monitoring the situation via radio. This section was always gripping, but perhaps slightly too long and familiar.
This film reminded me a lot of The Walking Dead – the fight for survival, post-apocalyptic landscape, cannibals – but Deadwyler’s commanding performance elevates the material as she is such a badass. I’d like more physical action roles from her please!
In selected cinemas and on digital platforms now