We sat down with Danielle Deadwyler as she shared insight into 40 Acres, an upcoming film, that will think is set to be one of this summer’s most exciting action thrillers!
Set in a famine-ravaged near future, 40 Acres is a gripping story that weaves high-stakes survival with powerful social commentary. Hailey Freeman (Danielle Deadwyler), a former soldier, leads her family on a secluded generational farm—their last sanctuary in a crumbling world. With her partner Galen (Michael Greyeyes), she has raised her children to be fiercely self-reliant, training them in combat to defend their land from the violent chaos beyond.
After fending off a brutal militia raid in the film’s explosive opening, the family learns that their neighbors have fallen victim to cannibalistic attackers. The threat looms closer, and their fragile peace fractures when Hailey’s eldest son, Emanuel (Kataem O’Connor), forms a secret bond with a mysterious young woman (Milcania Diaz-Rojas) he meets beyond the safety of their fence.
Family is a central theme of the film, with Deadwyler describing how the firm explores the concept of family, saying it forces viewers to confront questions such as “how do we stay connected through the most dire of situations, which is what we are all wanting- to stay together, to fight together, to remain together in this present, so how are we doing it in the future?”
40 Acres also examines the concept of reparations not only through land ownership but also through ancestral memory, emotional survival, and cultural identity.
Deadwyler explains that the movie’s content served as a major inspiration for bringing such a layered and complex character to life, telling The Source:
“I was inspired by [director] R.T. Thorne’s examination of our connectivity to the land and what it means for black and indigenous people to be surviving at this time. I know he wanted to know what it looks like a this time- these people who have historically had their land rights and connectivity have had a history of having been taken and so he is imagining what that looks like for the future, so these people whose history comes from this trauma and tragedy are the people who are thriving in the future and I thought that was interesting to play with. And also just the concept of family- how do we stay connected through the most dire of situations, which is what we are all wanting- to stay together, to fight together, to remain together in this present, so how are we doing it in the future?”
Danielle Deadwyler delivers a powerhouse performance as a woman who embodies resilience and burden alongside a brilliant supporting cast and as she put it, “an amazing crew” that brought the hyper-realistic fight scenes to life.
The film is accompanied by a strong soundtrack, courtesy of Thorne, who Deadwyler describes as “smart, musical, rhythmic, and deeply passionate.”
At its core, passion drives the film as it asks: what does justice look like when the world has already ended? Bold, timely, and unforgettable, 40 Acres challenges viewers to consider what it truly means to claim space, tell your story, and survive.
40 Acres premieres in theaters on July 2.