The Keeping Room

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Daniel N Boring. Pretty pointless, slow moving movie where nothing really happens. Read a book while this was running in the background and didn't miss a thing. Could have been entertaining with better writing and direction. Unfortunately good story telling really is a lost art. Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 12/11/24 Full Review isla s This is a very tense and suspenseful Western featuring three women trying their best to look out for one another. It had me at the edge of my seat at times and I felt the cast did well in their roles, although it is undoubtedly slow to build up the plot at the start and thus it may not appeal to all. There is a distinct lack of dialogue at times but I still felt it was engrossing, with the main character, Augusta, being somewhat of an enigma. When the action really gets under way, its mostly set at night and is quite looming and bleak in tone and thus it has a reasonably good sense of atmosphere, although it also has a lot of shaky/wobbly camerawork, which may also frustrate people. I suppose it adds to the gritty realism of it but it may also seem quite distracting and may put people off, especially if you get motion sickness etc. There are some instances of poignant dialogue, which made me realise the characters were, perhaps, surprisingly thoughtful. Its undoubtedly a bleak and somewhat grim Western drama film, not an all guns blazing action film, Western or not - its not quite great but its certainly not bad either. I'd cautiously recommend this, esp. to fans of Brit Marling, who plays Augusta. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review jelisije j A solid movie that deals with three southern women waiting for their men to return home from the civil war and are visited by two Union soldiers and must learn to survive or die. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review ronald h In some ways, The Keeping Room reminded me of the early 70's Clint Eastwood film The Beguiled. But while that film had a male point of view, this one has more of a feminist slant. Interesting, because there wasn't a lot of feminism going on during the Civil War era, especially in the rural south. The female perspective in this film gives it a unique feel. And when these women get mad, buckle up. While their father and brother are away fighting in the Confederate army, sisters Augusta (Brit Marling) and Louise (Hailee Steinfeld) are scraping by at their simple country homestead, along with their slave Mad (Muna Otaru), who is actually treated like another sister. It raises the question: Is slavery a male enterprise? Two rogue Union soldiers (Sam Worthington and Kyle Soller) , who are passing through, getting drunk and killing civilians just for fun, spot Augusta when she goes to a nearby tavern to find medicine for Louise. They track their way to the women's home at night, along with their disagreeable, snarling dog. Augusta, who is almost never without her rifle, hears a commotion outside. It's the dog, munching on one of her goats. She shoots the dog, and let's just say that things get very unpleasant for the rest of the film. I got a kick out of watching these women outsmart the bad guys. Yes, there is violence. But the clear message is that women have an obligation to defend themselves against oppressive men. While the two bad guys aren't well-developed, all three of the female actors turn in highly believable performances. Marling's Augusta is empathetic but tough as nails. Steinfield's Louise is young and helpless. The most gratifying performance is by Otaru. She rises to the occasion, and she has good reason, as we learn later in the story. I suppose some will see the metaphoric aspect of this movie as hyperbolic and simplistic. Perhaps. But you will certainly pay attention. I've also read complaints that the film is too sympathetic to the southern cause and portrays the Union soldiers as barbarians. Wrong. This movie is not partisan. It's anti-war. The final scenes may be implausible, but that's forgivable because the symbolism is so rich. Advice to women viewers: If you're angry with your boyfriend or husband, you might want to wait until you're in a more forgiving mood before you watch this one. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Convincingly acted and thoughtfully staged little indie period piece taking place in Civil War America. Occasionally riveting and appropriately hard-edged. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Audience Member Watchable, lots of tension, certainly passed the time. Not a lot of happiness in the film though. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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