The Keeping Room

“What if it’s the end of the world, and we are the last ones left?” asks Augusta. In the American South of 1865, sisters Augusta and Louise (played by Brit Marling and Hailee Steinfeld) and former slave Mad have learned to live like men. They use rifles to shoot small animals for their meals. They trudge through dirt in the hot sun to till their land. And they drink moonshine to forget their worries. Like numerous other white women in the region, Augusta and Louise’s father and brother were victims of the war. But, unlike many of those women, Augusta, Louise, and Mad refuse to quit fighting for their livelihood. When Union soldiers Moses (played by Sam Worthington) and Henry threaten to ravage the women and destroy their home, Augusta, Louise, and Mad will stop at nothing to protect themselves and their property. THE KEEPING ROOM—a gripping drama directed by Academy Award®-nominated Daniel Barber and featuring stunning cinematography and a haunting score – offers a harrowing perspective on the atrocities of war. – E.B.