40 Acres

I loved everything about this movie and I am someone who HATES thrillers. This said, the cinematography, acting an storyline were excellent. I have never seen a move elevate Black and Indigenous voice and presence in this way on screen before. It was beautiful. The story was eerily familiar and timely. The themes of love, loss, identity, family, community and other-mothering make it a movie that allows all to find their humanity in a space about the particular. What helped me were the moments of humour when the story was so heavy. There are always moments to smile no matter how hard it gets. I can't wait for my kids to see it.

40 Acres is a new Canadian, post apocalyptic......farm thriller?

The basic plot follows a family living on an isolated farm in the middle of rural Canada, several years after a mushroom pandemic, civil war and other weird stuff.

Society has fallen, and there are cannibals and raiders everywhere. A family of mixed ethnicity are now surviving, growing food on their farm, which is super important, all animals are now wiped out and farmland is a super hot commodity.

The movie is handsomely shot but it bounces around from dark humour, horror, a military movie, a family religious movie and a coming of age movie, oh and kidnapping movie.

It's almost like the director said to the writers "Hey you have all of this stuff in here. What kind of movie should this actually be?" And then they all said "Yes."

This is a textbook example of throwing everything but the kitchen sink at the wall, but what sticks actually does kind of work.

The movie is unique in that when it's the turn...things get worse for the characters....and then it gets worse......and then it gets worse...before being tied up in a nice little bow at the end.

At the end of the day, if you gave me this film's budget and actors and told me to go with god, this isn't the movie that I would necessarily come up with, but I'm glad that someone took a stab at it. The result is a low to mid budget thriller that actually pulls it off. I saw this movie at a surprise screening, but I'm glad that I did.

40 Acres is advanced in how it treats familial, racial, and interpersonal traumas. One could look at this film as an allegorical reflection on the devastation ravaged by North American colonists towards multiple communities (i.e. Indigenous Canadians and enslaved Africans) and, while this is necessary to feel the full weight of these survivors' journeys, the genre bending and fast-paced sequences are so well-tailored that the thrills alone can carry the film.

These are survivors in the truest sense of the word, and it's not killing or laboring in the fields that gives them a hard time, it's learning how to build the trust to let others in.

40 Acres is one of the best films seen in a long time. From start to finish this film keeps you on your toes wondering, hoping, and wish you're way through. R. T.'s visual story telling and Danielle's performance brought this story to life in ways that the audience can connect with each character on the highest level. This movie has something for everyone, it's perfect for date night, family night, friends outing, or a solo outing. But WARNING! You will cry! But you will love, you will feel seen and heard. You'll feel happiness, joy and understanding of how we all continue to grow and follow our own paths in life. Lastly from the audio to the cinematography I have to give this movie a 10/10. As a filmmaker I absolutely appreciate the time, effort, and teamwork that was put into this film. You all absolutely must go see this film.

Genuinely loved this movie. Was a great action flick based on a dystopian premise from a unique point of view. Some really great scenes in here - the lights out sequence was wild.

Director and co-writer Randall "RT!" Thorne really brought a world to life. There were genuine bonds of family that were shown, tested, and celebrated against a pretty tough environment. I've never seen a blended Black and Indigenous family portrayed on the screen in this way before. The film itself was a thrill ride but it was also a testament to resilience, love and community.

Loved the little Easter eggs in the books the kids were reading. And art in the house. All the way around, great film. Worth checking out!