40 Acres
"To have given each one of the million Negro free families a forty-acre freehold would have made a basis of real democracy in the United States that might easily have transformed the modern world." - W. E. B. Du Bois
It's dizzying how quickly Danielle Deadwyler burst into the limelight. Her screen debut came over a decade ago, after which she only occasionally worked but was often hailed as the highlight when she did. Her supporting role in The Harder They Fall in 2021 finally made general audiences take notice, and 2022's Till earned her a dedicated fanbase that decried her omission from that year's Oscars. Each performance since has elicited further praise, no matter whether she's barely on screen (e.g. I Saw the TV Glow) or fully commands it (e.g. The Woman in the Yard). From the moment you hear her voice in 40 Acres, it's clear this will not buck the trend.
A title card informs us of a series of connected disasters over a decade ago. It began as a mysterious plague that killed most animal life, causing civilization to largely fall apart and leading to civil war. Self-sustaining farms became the most valuable land around, such as the one that has been in Hailey Freeman's (Deadwyler) family for nearly two hundred years. Holding on to their bounty requires extensive fortification to avoid being overrun by jealous outsiders. Fortunately for her family, Hailey has military training, which she and her partner Galen (Michael Greyeyes) pass on to their four children. The six form a ruthless and efficient unit, skilled in both firearms and hand-to-hand combat. All of which we witness in the thrilling opening scene, as a roving gang charges through their cornfield intending to take the main house, during which they're cut down one-by-one by the Freemans through sharpshooting, stealth, and quickness.
This scene also hints at what will become the driving force of the film: the restlessness of Manny (Kataem O’Connor). He's begun to rebel, constantly brooding and pushing back against the strict discipline imposed by his mother and father. More than just a moody teenager or twentysomething, he's most interested in romantic partnership, suggested by his hesitation to kill a wounded female interloper. The way the camera cuts between his face and hers renders it completely unsurprising later when he brings a woman from a nearby outpost to his family's barn and hides her from the others. And also that her presence would precipitate the entire third act.
Read my full review on Pop Culture Maniacs.