Exhilarating Action Horror Thrives in BIPOC Led 40 Acres (SXSW)
Title: 40 Acres
First Non-Festival Release: July 4, 2025 (Theatrical Release)
Director: R.T. Thorne
Writer: R.T. Thorne, Glenn Taylor, Lora Campbell
Runtime: 113 Minutes
Starring: Danielle Deadwyler, Michael Greyeyes, Kateem O’Connor
Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here
This film’s review was written after its screening at the South by Southwest Film Festival in 2025.
It’s not hard to imagine a world ravaged by disaster where people are fighting over scraps of resources. When food is limited, those left behind will have to get creative and work hard to survive. Some people know what it takes to survive. Others don’t.
This is the case for the Freemans, the last vestige of a group descended from free slaves who settled in Canada following the Civil War. When the world is ravaged by a disease that wipes out most crops, farmland becomes the most valuable resource to the surviving humans. Matriarch of the Freemans, Hailey (Danielle Deadwyler), presides over the family with caution and care, emphasizing isolationism and discipline to stay alive. This works for a while until a band of cannibals comes through town, threatening to un-do the years of hard work that built their lives.
A thrilling and brutal dose of apocalyptic horror, 40 Acres balances powerful messaging with breathtaking tension.
The world of 40 Acres comes to life in expertly placed droplets of world-building. The chaos of the world is mostly told through the lens of Hailey’s only ally, August Taylor (Elizabeth Saunders). Their relationship, propped up mostly through the radio, yields more utility than an avenue for old friends to catch up. Augusta warns of farms going silent, soldiers promising aid, and offers to trade more goods. A clever workaround to traditional info dumps, 40 Acres allows viewers to be thrust into the Freeman’s world with all the same given circumstances they have, thus upping the tension.
The Freemans are not only an interesting family unit in their own right but also serve as a beacon of hope and strength for Black and Indigenous People of Color. With an almost entirely self-sustaining operation amidst a dystopian apocalypse, the Freeman’s survival is no mere accident. Their day-to-day reveals an immense understanding of what is necessary and what is at stake, with only a few reminders to the young ones to help audiences understand the dangers of their world. The work is difficult: blood, sweat, tears, and angst. Beneath it all, they are happy as a family, loving as much as they are strict. The dichotomy is especially special given how many post-apocalyptic thrillers posit that coldness is the only way to persist.
Survival doesn’t just mean living, and this manifests in many ways that resonate in the real world. The idea of ancestors of slaves owning property and protecting it in their own right is enough to feel revolutionary, especially when farmland becomes the most valuable resource one could control. At the behest of Galen (Michael Greyeyes), the family interchanges English with Cree, both to keep his Native language alive but also to throw off anyone who might overhear their conversations. It isn’t just about surviving an apocalypse. There’s something cathartic about a Black and Indigenous blended family standing up for their right to live on their own terms against invaders who wish to take everything from them, given the history of North America.
Strong characters and performances keep the action grounded even when the bullets and knives zoom across the screen. Tough-as-nails Hailey leads with strength and love, which Danielle Deadwyler demonstrates with ease. Unlike many heroes, Deadwyler has the grit to make her performance feel authentic when she is shooting, stabbing, and doing hand-to-hand combat with the baddies. Galen is the perfect foil for Hailey. Imbuing the same strength with a more openly vulnerable approach to relationships, he is a peacemaker when Hailey closes off. Michael Greyeyes makes the dynamic work while delivering action hero moments of his own with finesse. The emotional center of the film, Emanuel (Kataem O’Connor), cinches it together. Kataem O’Connor balances Emanuel’s desire for more autonomy and need to move past his home’s safe fences with his loyalty for his family. When he pleads with his mother that empathy is not a weakness, it feels so raw and believable, one of the highlights of the film.
While the construction of the Freeman’s lives makes sense given Hailey’s military service and farming background, it gets to a point where the family gets out of situations a little too clean. As the family fights off against their attackers, their knowledge of survival takes them to almost a superhero level of strength and endurance. It makes sense that the never-ending cabal of cannibals may not be the best fighters, surviving more off of sheer numbers and clever treachery, but their inability to follow through stretches the realm of imagination. This doesn’t hurt the film too much, as it’s a common refrain in action horror films with similar heroes but is worth mentioning all the same.
Working both as a fun slice of action horror and a deeper meditation on what it means to survive as a Black and/or Indigenous person, 40 Acres is a well-made thrill ride all the same. Top-notch action set pieces and convincing family drama intertwine to make this cannibalistic siege film captivating and exhilarating. Strong performances, interesting characters, and a unique setup make 40 Acres an easy favorite for the 2025 slate of horror.
Overall Score? 8/10
