Overview

• Magnolia Pictures released 40 Acres nationwide on July 2 following its 2024 premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
• Danielle Deadwyler anchors the film as Hailey Freeman, a former soldier who defends her family’s farm against cannibal raiders with fierce resolve.
• Director R. T. Thorne’s feature debut marries frenetic, music-video-inspired action sequences with stark post-apocalyptic world building.
• Reviewers applaud the film’s potent family drama and its invocation of the unfulfilled promise of 40 acres and a mule as a symbol of generational resilience.
• Some critics argue that the thriller leans on familiar dystopian tropes and could have deepened its broader social commentary.