"I'm very interested in the dichotomy of thought and of perspective," filmmaker R.T. Thorne shares with Exclaim! when reflecting on the mother-son dynamics in his debut feature, 40 Acres.
Initially wanting to see a story about a Black mother and son set in the future, something he hadn't seen before, the seed of his idea started to grow when he planted it in rich cultural soil. While a mother and son with different perspectives on the world make up the root of the film, Thorne realized that the real story came from a blended Black and Indigenous family taking care of their land and farm.
"We have a shared history in some of the trauma that's been inflicted on our communities through colonialism," Thorne says of the intertwining nature of the two cultures. "I wanted to be informed by that, but I didn't want that to be the main element of the family."
In focusing on characters thriving and equipped to handle difficult situations, the family often operating with military-style precision, Thorne constructs an exhilarating work that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats.
Set in a dystopian future in which farmland has become the most valuable resource after a disease kills off most of the animal population, 40 Acres (in theatres this Friday, July 4) follows the Freeman clan, led by ex-solider Hailey (Danielle Deadwyler) and her partner, Galen (Michael Greyeyes), as they attempt to defend their home from deadly outsiders.
Content to live a peaceful and isolated life, Hailey finds herself increasingly butting heads with their eldest son, Emanuel (Kataem O'Connor), who longs for connection beyond the fortified boundaries of their land. However, when a group of cannibals begin picking off neighbouring farms, the family must choose what they believe to be the key to a better future: continuing to move forward on their own, or risk it all by putting trust in others.
What makes this tug-of-war between fear and community so fascinating is that the characters in 40 Acres are informed by the past, but not burdened by it. The film doesn't fixate on trauma, even though the mere presence of Black and Indigenous characters inherently carries a certain history in their bodies; rather, it's a film of familial bonds and doing everything to preserve it.
"I think what's beautiful about the screenplay is that this family is in a unique place — they're portraits of success, they're landowners, they're powerful," notes Greyeyes. "We are operating from a place of strength."
By not being anchored down by the oppressive chains of the past, Thorne and his cast truly explore various aspects of each character in detail. Early on, Thorne advised Greyeyes that he felt Galen had been involved in some aspect of music in the past, either by making music or working in the industry. The two collaborated on the idea further, and agreed the character was into punk rock music and probably spent time as a roadie.
"If you look at all his clothes throughout the whole film, that little piece of information about his history worked its way into everything he wore — the kind of bracelets he had, the T-shirts, the sort of punk aesthetic," the actor says. "I remember that Danielle [Deadwyler] was always like, 'Why do you get such cool clothes to wear?' I got to wear all this army stuff."
Greyeyes revelled in the sense of artistic freedom that came with working with a filmmaker who really understood how narrowly people tend to view Black and Indigenous communities, both traditionally and historically. Thorne not only keeps these individuals at the centre of his story, but he also gives them, and the actors playing them, agency as well. "Our choices make abundant sense for that person. It's not just reactions to things that occurred before," Greyeyes explains.
The choices that many of the Freemans face in 40 Acres is never clear cut, creating a compelling story arc. Giving his characters plenty of dimension allowed Thorne to incorporate various themes not often see in a thriller.
On the surface, 40 Acres is a tale of family and survival, but conflicts of faith, allusion to the evils of colonialism, and questions about the currency of trust and who to spend it on flow beneath.
For Thorne, the idea for these undercurrents came from a personal place. "I don't know about you," Thorne muses, "but when you sit around my family table and start talking with extended family, you get all types of conversations about religion, politics and social things."
His goal was not to necessarily provide the audience with answers or to tell them how to think. Rather, he wants his film to both entertain and engage people's minds on multiple levels.
"Oftentimes thrillers are just about the visceral thrills," the filmmaker observes. "I think deeper conversation can be had, different perspectives — especially if you're committed to these people."