X
- 2025
- R
- Magnolia Pictures
- 1 h 53 m
- 2025
- R
- Magnolia Pictures
- 1 h 53 m
Summary After a plague eradicates all animal life, famine spreads across the globe leaving society at war and in ruins, but the Freemans are surviving — even thriving — on their ancestral farm so long as they dispatch the occasional raiding party. But what good is surviving the end of the world if it means snuffing out your own humanity? Former ...
Directed By: R.T. Thorne
Written By: R.T. Thorne, Glenn Taylor, Lora Campbell
- 2025
- R
- Magnolia Pictures
- 1 h 53 m
- 2025
- R
- Magnolia Pictures
- 1 h 53 m
40 Acres
74
5.6
Where to Watch
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Summary After a plague eradicates all animal life, famine spreads across the globe leaving society at war and in ruins, but the Freemans are surviving — even thriving — on their ancestral farm so long as they dispatch the occasional raiding party. But what good is surviving the end of the world if it means snuffing out your own humanity? Former ...
Directed By: R.T. Thorne
Written By: R.T. Thorne, Glenn Taylor, Lora Campbell
Where to Watch
Coming Soon
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 19 Critic Reviews
74
84% Positive
16 Reviews
16 Reviews
16% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 19 Critic Reviews
74
84% Positive
16 Reviews
16 Reviews
16% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Jul 2, 2025
The depth of [Thorne's] characters, brought to life by a terrific cast, and tactile world building are what set 40 Acres apart. The setting feels authentic; you could imagine yourself living on this farm with this family.
Jul 3, 2025
40 Acres is a top-tier genre film that Trojan-horses a flood of knotty, provocative conversations into multiplexes via the best kind of speculative fiction.
User Score
Mixed or Average Based on 20 User Ratings
5.6
50% Positive
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
30% Mixed
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
20% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average Based on 20 User Ratings
5.6
50% Positive
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
30% Mixed
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
20% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
Jul 29, 2025
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 dubiously graphic after a time. The narrative also grows somewhat incongruent from the material that launches the film, namely, through the introduction of a far-fetched cannibalism storyline involving characters who more closely resemble zombies than their prototypical flesh-eating counterparts, who usually have the good sense to at least cook their food before consuming it. The film also has some of the worst sound quality I’ve seen in quite a while, its dialogue often coming across as garbled and barely intelligible (an increasingly annoying quality in many movie releases these days). To its credit, this offering features some gorgeous cinematography, an eclectic soundtrack and score, several engaging and unexpected (but underdeveloped) narrative themes and generally capable performances by the cast (despite not having a better script to work with). Ultimately, though, it’s unfortunate that the execution here doesn’t match the concept behind the story, coming across like an awkwardly conceived cross between the “Mad Max,” “Rambo” and “Walking Dead” franchises. Judicious retooling might have improved the finished product, but, sadly, in its present state, those behind this effort could sadly be said to have bought the farm.
Report
Jul 7, 2025
Deadwyler is what makes 40 Acres feel like there’s something special happening here. The script has brains. Her Hailey has heart and soul. She gives us the postapocalyptic hero we deserve.
Dec 21, 2024
Though R.T. Thorne’s dynamic siege thriller has some familiar moves, it is full of fresh ideas.
Jun 29, 2025
40 Acres continually finds clever ways to either subvert familiar story beats or to make them land with extra impact.
Jun 20, 2025
40 Acres is a tense, violent and generally satisfying survivalist thriller.
Jul 1, 2025
The problem is that 40 Acres simply sprinkles its few unique ideas atop a shambling post-apocalyptic template.
Jul 10, 2025
In this latest climate disaster thriller, most animals have been wiped out by disease and famine is global. The story revolves around one family that has to guard their lives and protect their farm's food supply. The inevitable marauders provide the conflict. The opening sequence gives us a nice taste of the wily ways they protect their property. Then, there’s a lot of dialogue before things ramp up again. Danielle Deadwyler heads the cast with steely resolve. First time director R.T. Thorne manages to create some dramatic tension, but none of the action is that original or powerful. The big question that was never answered: If civilization is decimated, where do they get the fuel that powers their numerous motorized vehicles? Overall, this is an interesting concept played out with some strong performances, but will still quickly be forgotten.
Report
Production Company
- Hungry Eyes Film & Television
- Ontario Creates
- Téléfilm Canada
Release Date Jul 2, 2025
Duration 1 h 53 m
Rating R
Tagline Get off our land.
Website https://www.40acresmovie.com/
Awards
Directors Guild of Canada
• 2 Wins & 5 Nominations
Vancouver Film Critics Circle
• 3 Nominations
Dallas International Film Festival
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
