The Civil War drama isn't a genre with a reputation for being particularly friendly to women, but The Keeping Room just might break the mold.
Set in the rural South in 1865 at the end of the civil war, the film focuses on three women who must join together to defend themselves against two rogue soldiers who have broken off from the quickly approaching Northern Army.
However, it gets even more complicated: two of the women are sisters (Brit Marling and Hailee Steinfeld) -- and slave owners -- joined by the woman bound to their home (newcomer Muna Otaru), who is in just as much trouble as they are.
The Keeping Room isn't your typical Civil War tale of soldiers grappling with the terrors of war (think Glory) -- instead, it focuses on the abandoned world of the home front. As the men vanish off to war, the women have taken it upon themselves to defend their home at all costs.