The Keeping Room (2014)

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Beautifully shot, slow moving. The shifts of power between the characters kept me gripped, but I think a little more fleshing out of the characters might have done more for the film, over the long scenes. However, it did definitely get me teared up at the end. Would recommend to any fans of the western genre, although it has its differences.

During the American Civil war two sisters and their black slave find themselves on the path of Sherman's March to the Sea. Two Union troops sent ahead of the main force, taking much relish in their task, target the women.This was in the dark section of Netflix, they really should create a bleak section for movies like this. Saying that, it is well made and acted. Although brutal there is no gore or nudity.The women have all kinds of hardships to contend with that are hard to totally comprehend today. Despite the obvious second and third class citizen status they have a more tangible lack of food, medicine and fuel. Not to mention the imminent arrival of a vengeful army operating a scorched earth policy.The characters are interesting and challengingly honest.The younger sister, not knowing any different, cannot grasp she is not superior to a black woman. The slave in turn seems overly phlegmatic; but then to survive as a slave you would have to be.Don't expect too many rainbows here, but a very good watch.

Lots of films attest to the fact that slow and ponderous doesn't ruin a movie's chance of success but as Daniel (Michael Caine starrer Harry Brown's director) Barber's slow and steady The Keeping Room also attest's to, slow and ponderous certainly doesn't make a movie and while The Keeping Room has moments of brilliance and sprinklings of sound shattering violence, this Civil War set drama fails to properly engage.The Keeping Room does offer a refreshing female orientated look at the American landscape of the Civil War war-torn country with Brit Marling's Augusta featuring alongside her sister Louise played by an increasingly grown up Hailee Steinfeld and house keep Mad played somewhat underwhelming by Muna Otaru and while Barber and his screenwriter Julia Hart should be commended for offering up a different take on the usual tropes of similar such films, The Keeping Room's overbearing sense of coldness and underdeveloped characters unhinges most of the films solid ground work.For a film with such a confined setting and small field of participants, The Keeping Room needed to make better use of its recognisable faces and while the always good Marling does well with limited scope and Steinfeld and the increasingly obscure like Sam Worthington as a hard drinking soldier have some nice moments, this won't be a film fans of any of these actors will be recalling in years to come thanks to a blunted message; it's hard to know exactly what the film is trying to say or what it is, a lacking home invasion thriller or commentary on females trapped in the Civil War landscape and at the end of the day not even an ending out of a more rounded film can up the film to another level.There's glimmers of a fairly astounding film here but they're only that, mere glimmers and when a low budgeted film such a this has such a talented cast and potential, The Keeping Room feels like a rather forgettable missed opportunity and despite its originality, Barber's film is not equal to the sum of its parts.2 raccoon bites out of 5

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.