‘40 Acres’: Danielle Deadwyler Leads a Family Through Postapocalyptic Times With Commanding Presence

Alci Rengifo

With so many dystopian movies made over the past century, you would think there is little room left for another postapocalyptic parable. “40 Acres” proves the genre does indeed have more to offer, if the emphasis is placed on characters over just the action. Director R.T. Thorne reduces the plot to something almost primal. We don’t need the end of the world to make us fear for our homes or those we care about. This movie could be taking place today in a wide array of situations. With Danielle Deadwyler leading the cast, the performances make us feel attached to this family in peril on a surprisingly relatable level.

The story takes place in a near future where the U.S. has been ravaged by plagues and civil war. The animal population is nearly decimated. Farmers capable of producing their own crops have the best chance of survival. Hailey (Deadwyler) is such a farmer, along with partner Galen (Michael Greyeyes), teen son Emanuel (Kataem O’Connor), stepdaughter Raine (Leenah Robinson) and youngest daughter Danis (Jaeda LeBlanc). They live on land Hailey’s family has worked since the days of Reconstruction. When a young woman named Dawn (Milcania Diaz-Rojas) is found by Emanuel, who wishes to break out of the isolated mindset of his mother, the family might soon face militias encroaching from the outside world.

“I think R.T. did the heavy lifting in making sure it was character-driven. That creates an urgency in wanting this family to survive, to see how they stay together even though they are already, before the danger arrives at their door step, in a critical mass moment,” is how Danielle Deadwyler described the appeal of the narrative to Entertainment Voice. The screenplay by Thorne and Glenn Taylor wears a few influences on its sleeve. As in many recent dystopias, we’re constantly reminded of a dangerous outside world where the country has collapsed. Radio transmissions warn of roaming “animals,” meaning marauding bands of potential cannibals as in Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road.” Hailey and Galen raise their kids to be good but also fierce survivalists as in “The Last of Us.” A Family outing means patrols of the perimeter and a storage space where essential supplies are kept, where they soon confront uniformed intruders. There is a greater effort placed on cultural diversity, making “40 Acres” different from the usual white American survivalist fantasy. The farm has been in Hailey’s family since after the slaves were liberated following the Civil War. History is an important part of home schooling for this clan. Galen is Native American and speaks in his Indigenous language, while instructing the children on the need to respect the land as a living entity.

In between these entertaining details stands a broader, engaging human component. Thorne builds genuine characters, using an admirably strong cast. Instead of just keeping them as cardboard figures waiting for a plot twist, the writing turns them into believable individuals living through immensely unsure times. Even as the apocalypse unfolds, Emanuel remains a young man processing loneliness and the restless need to know about the wider world. He first sees Dawn bathing by a river and his curiosity, not to mention hormones, gets awakened. When Emanuel finds Dawn wounded and takes her in, the movie avoids some of the familiar teenage cliches. There is attraction in the air, but the situation becomes about Hailey needing to learn to trust her son a bit more now that he’s entering adulthood, while still keeping him sober to what it takes to survive. As Deadwyler puts it, “R.T. has done a great service in investing us in who they are, why they have done what they have done and trying to stay as a family unit, in the midst of the ongoing challenges that are deeply violent.”

The third act of “40 Acres” is where the flow of this film gets closer to a standard action thriller. The family eventually has to band together to save their land and themselves from an invading group of cannibals (remember, animals have mostly died off, so getting meat becomes quite extreme). Yet, even through the shootouts, Deadwyler leads with her commanding presence, evoking the same kind of maternal warmth and anger from her best work. Her performance in 2022’s “Till” was so good that not receiving an Academy Award nomination should be seen as a stain on that institution. She’s so good in this movie we hope they cast her in the next “Mad Max” entry. The final shot of “40 Acres” is one of great serenity with Hailey at the head of the family dinner table, having learned vital lessons but enjoying the security of genuine family. With so many fears of the world coming apart, this film reminds us there is still hope when we practice genuine solidarity. 

“40 Acres” releases July 2 in theaters nationwide.