Parents' Guide to 40 Acres

This dystopian thriller may feel a little too familiar in the plot department, but it's skillfully made, and its historical context makes it worth a watch. The feature directorial debut of R.T. Thorne—a veteran of music videos and television—40 Acres has an effectively moody visual scheme. Somehow, the images of farmland and crops, which are ordinarily peaceful and promising, here carry a sinister edge. Things start with a bang as the Freeman family quickly and effortlessly dispatch a band of intruders. Thorne chooses not to show the defenders' attacks, only their aftermath, as if the violence were committed by expert ghosts.

Some of the story's turns are a bit overused, and it can be frustrating to watch characters tread tired territory and fall for old tricks, but these moments aren't too numerous and are easily forgiven. Where the movie gets most of its strength, like Ryan Coogler's Sinners, is in its sense of history and community. 40 Acres is layered in the context of racism and slavery, Civil War and migrant farming, pride and pain. Focusing on Black and Indigenous characters is compelling, with the dynamic of two historically marginalized groups both butting heads and working together to survive attacks by mostly White invaders. That the movie winds up as a somewhat typical action thriller never dampens its overall power.