The Keeping Room

I am surprised to see that some people do not like this movie. May be they did not get the message this movie is sending. First , this movie wants to give you the sense of the violence and rampage that some stray Union soldiers conducted during the U.S. civil war which has seldom been reported in history. Second , it wants to show you the hardship and misery of those days' women who were left alone , to live and survive by themselves , when their husbands left for war. Third , it wants to convey this message to women , based on movie's currents of events , that , if they are united, resilient and determine, they then can overcome and survive the worst threats. Fourth , it tells women that they must learn everything they need to learn to defend themselves , that is , how to fight , how to shoot , how to plan against intruders and how to rely on themselves to survive. It tells them how to believe in themselves in that they can overcome dangerous situations during the coarse of their lives. I believe the director and scenario writer have done a superb job in conveying this message to its viewers.

Watched this without reading reviews and was pleasantly surprised. Acting is phenomenal, and the movie feels real to the 1865 era. All three lead female actresses were outstanding.

During the Carolinas Campaign near the bitter end of the Civil War in spring, 1865, two sisters & a former slave (Brit Marling, Hailee Steinfeld & Muna Otaru) have been waiting out the war at their rural homestead. A couple of Yankee cutthroats enter the picture and they have to use their wits to survive.

A slowburn Western that takes place in the East, "The Keeping Room" (2014) has sparse settings, but a competent cast, proficient filmmaking and a realistic, grim tone. Similar movies include "Pharaoh's Army" (1995) and "Echoes of War" (2015). "War Flowers" (2012) is another one but, unlike that flick, "The Keeping Room" features top-of-the-line filmmaking for a modest-budget picture.

The film runs 1 hour, 35 minutes, and was shot in Poienari, Arges County, Romania.

GRADE: B+

The Keeping Room follows three women who are left alone on a plantation in the south near the end of the American Civil War. While these women are just trying to survive, they are put to the test when two rouge union soldiers. The result is an eerie, heartbreaking, and thought-provoking film about a group of people that we don't think about in history, women of the south. The film also does a good job of showing the dark side of the Union Army. Near the end of the war the union army had the attitude, "War is cruelty. There is no use trying to reform it. The crueler it is, the sooner it will be over. - William Tecumseh Sherman, Union Army General. Thus the burning and looting of southern plantations. While at the same time, this film doesn't glorify the confederacy. Instead, this film is about a small group of characters caught in a bad situation. Also, this film has some amazing performances from Hailee Steinfeld and Sam Worthington. I've always thought Sam Worthington is an underrated actor, and he is amazing as this film's villain. Hailee Steinfeld's performance simply fantasist. Even though she is only a kid, she is by far the best actor in this film, which goes to show just how talented she is. I wasn't as impressed with Brit Marling, but this could be because I found her character underwhelming. This movie isn't for everyone as there are some dark scenes. However, if you have the stomach for it, I'd recommend seeking it out.

A thinly plotted , mainly slow but often tense Civil War piece with three fine lead performances and a good rather different one from Sam Worthington. An interesting take on what happens when law breaks down in a soon to be defeated land.