Father and child sit together smiling while looking at a smart phone.

Want more recommendations for your family?

Sign up for our weekly newsletter for entertainment inspiration

Parents' Guide to

The Keeping Room

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Engaging but brutally violent Civil War drama.

Movie R 2022 94 minutes
The Keeping Room Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

See all

There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

What's the Story?

The Civil War is coming to a close. Two dissipated Union soldiers are terrorizing the Southern countryside, destroying everything and everyone in their path. Two sisters, Augusta (Brit Marling) and Louise (Hailee Steinfeld), and a slave named Mad work their land and struggle to survive while their men are away fighting. When Louise is bitten by a raccoon, Augusta must go into town for medicine. At the general store, the two Union soldiers spot her, and she narrowly escapes their clutches. But the two soldiers and their vicious dog find their way to the house where she lives. It's up to Augusta, Louise, and Mad to defend themselves and their land from these wicked soldiers, even as they slowly begin to realize that even if they do survive the predations of these two, they're merely a taste of what's to come as General Sherman and his men advance on their March to the Sea.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

THE KEEPING ROOM is an extremely violent Civil War tale that is best for mature teens and older. This intense drama forces the viewer to confront some of the horrors of the Civil War and the ways in which most war movies have traditionally conveyed fighting as valorous, glorious, and without blood, unless it's the enemy, of course. It's as gruesome and bleak as it is tense and suspenseful, and what emerges are characters brought to the brink of insanity by the horrors of war and all it has wrought. There are no heroes in this movie; while the women who are trying to defend themselves and their home from two dissipated and just plain nasty Union soldiers are certainly sympathetic characters whom the audience wants to "win," they don't display the typical modes of heroism as conveyed in so many war or action movies so much as being in desperate survival mode, reacting to one traumatic situation after the other. What ultimately emerges is an unforgettable exploration of the theme of resiliency in the human spirit, manifested during one of America's ugliest and most-chronicled chapters in its history.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about war movies. How is war conveyed? Compare and contrast movies in which war is shown to be a valorous and almost glamorously heroic endeavor with movies in which characters die and suffer and the ugliness of war is not hidden. Which type of movie is more realistic?

  • This movie is extremely violent, with a sexual assault, several killings with rifles, dead bodies, and blood. Why do you think the filmmakers chose to make a movie that doesn't shy away from the horrors of the Civil War?

  • How accurately do you think this movie reflected the realities of the Civil War? How could you find out more?

Movie Details

Inclusion information powered by

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended movie lists

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate