Better than its average score, which is probably from a majority of prepubescent boys wanting an action movie. If you're open to a different perspective give it a try.

This is a woman's tale. It's not about some feminist women not wanting men around. This is about women who are forced into the position of having to learn to live without men while wishing they would come home. I love that it was a slow burn because it really pulled me into how they were feeling. My only disappointment was the ending but great movie, regardless.

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+