40 Acres

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.