40 Acres (2025)

July 2, 2025 (CA) • Action, Thriller, Drama, Fantasy, Horror • 113m

Overview

Hailey Freeman and her family are the last descendants of African American farmers who settled in rural Canada after the Civil War. In a famine-decimated near future, they now struggle to safeguard their farm, as they make one last stand against a vicious militia hell-bent on taking their 40 Acres.

Director

R.T. Thorne

Writers

R.T. Thorne, R.T. Thorne, Lora Campbell, Glenn Taylor

Top Billed

Danielle Deadwyler

Keywords

No keywords available for this title.

Where to watch

Free / Included

Rent

Buy

Top Billed Cast

Danielle Deadwyler

Hailey Freeman

Kataem O'Connor

Emanuel Freeman

Michael Greyeyes

Galen

Milcania Diaz-Rojas

Dawn

Leenah Robinson

Raine

Jaeda LeBlanc

Danis Freeman

Haile Amare

Elizabeth Saunders

Augusta Taylor

Tyrone Benskin

Felix Freeman

Mimi Côté

Skinny Masked Drifter

Jacob Gabriel

Little Emanuel

Patrick Garrow

Lewis The Man With Glasses

Zeegwon Shilling

Taylor Teen #1

Ava Weiss

Taylor Teen #2

Tyson Kirk

Taylor Teen #3

Eric Daniel

Kitchen Cannibal #1

James Eddy

Kitchen Cannibal #2

Jr Marasigan

Kitchen Cannibal #3

Derek Barnes

Kitchen Cannibal #4

Geoff Meech

Kitchen Cannibal #5

Anita Nittoly

Kitchen Cannibal #6

James Binkley

Oldie Cannibal

Randy Butcher

Old Cap Drifter

Mike Chute

Old Cap Drifter #2

David Chinchilla

Union Soldier Cannibal #1

Al Vrkljan

Union Soldier Cannibal #2

Craig Henry

Scared Drifter

Jean-François Lachapelle

Burial Ground Cannibal #1

Justin Howell

Burial Ground Cannibal #2

Kevan Kase

Burial Ground Cannibal #3

Pat Kerton

Blondie Drifter

Crew

R.T. Thorne

Director

R.T. Thorne

Writer

Jennifer Holness

Producer

R.T. Thorne

Story

R.T. Thorne

Executive Producer

Lora Campbell

Story

Glenn Taylor

Writer

Taj Critchlow

Executive Producer

Danielle Deadwyler

Executive Producer

Andrew Frank

Executive Producer

Mark Gingras

Executive Producer

John Laing

Executive Producer

Sudz Sutherland

Executive Producer

Dave Hudakoc

Co-Executive Producer

Peter Cosco

Production Design

Jeremy Benning

Director of Photography

Dev Singh

Editor

Sandy Pereira

Editor

Charlene Akuamoah

Costume Design

Todor Kobakov

Original Music Composer

Stephanie Gorin

Casting

Kim Taylor-Coleman

Casting

Reid A. Dunlop

First Assistant Director

Dev Singh

Associate Producer

Sterling Thomas

Second Assistant Director

Lora Campbell

Associate Producer

Temilola Adebayo

Associate Producer

Antonio Hines

Makeup Department Head

Chancelle Mulela

Makeup Department Head

Stacie Merriman

Hair Department Head

Neil Morris

Art Direction

Adam Prince

Set Decoration

Paula Gregg

Set Decoration Buyer

Carolyn Clendenning

Second Assistant Art Director

Sabira Abdus-Samad

Set Decoration Buyer

Syed Ahmed Bokhari

First Assistant Art Direction

Luke Ellis

Lead Set Dresser

Bobby Fraser

Set Dresser

Greg McLellan

Set Dresser

Stuart Dunbar

Set Dresser

Stephanie Fournier

Set Dresser

Ryan Woods

Set Dresser

Margaret Shain

Set Dresser

Helen Tracey

Set Dresser

Andrew Aowka

Set Dresser

David Ottier

Sound Mixer

Jessica Rogers

Sound Mixer

Sam Glogowski

Boom Operator

Mike Ashton

Boom Operator

Sasha Moric

"A" Camera Operator

Peter Sweeney

Steadicam Operator

Peter Sweeney

"B" Camera Operator

Joe Turner

"B" Camera Operator

Nigel Hartwell

Gaffer

Corbin Noonan

Assistant Gaffer

Alexandre Fishbein-Ouimette

Camera Trainee

Jessica Goebell

Online Editor

Jim Fleming

Colorist

Steve Moore

Sound Re-Recording Mixer

Lucas Roveda

Sound Re-Recording Mixer

Ed Douglas

Sound Designer

Dermain Finlayson

Dialogue Editor

Andrii Bieliznoi

Visual Effects Supervisor

Andrii Bilym

Visual Effects Supervisor

Sergii Mashevskyi

Visual Effects Producer

Angelica Lisk-Hann

Stunt Coordinator

Victoria Goodman

Stunt Double

Dennis Lafond

Stunt Double

Sammila Vassell

Stunt Double

Nick Stead

Stunts

Thomas Liccioni

Stunts

Dillon Jagersky

Stunts

Reviews

Manuel São Bento

⭐ 8/10

July 2, 2025

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 an… read the rest.

Brent Marchant

⭐ 6/10

July 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.

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Status

Released

Original Language

Budget

—

Revenue

$754,751

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40 Acres (2025)

R.T. Thorne, R.T. Thorne, Lora Campbell, Glenn Taylor

Where to watch

Top Billed Cast

Crew

Reviews

Manuel São Bento

Brent Marchant

Status

Original Language

Budget

Revenue

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