The Keeping Room

As the dying embers of the American Civil War finally succumb to the forces of defeat, three Southern women - Augusta (a stalwart elder sister) and Louise (her younger sibling), along with Mad (a resilient African-American slave) - find themselves bereft of male companionship. Their once-peaceful existence is now threatened by two rogue soldiers who have deserted the Union Army's advancing ranks. Augusta sets out to procure medicine for her ailing sister, only to discover that their neighbor has fallen victim to a deadly dose of poison. Her subsequent visit to a local tavern ends with a stern warning from the barkeep, forcing her to exit the premises. It is here that she encounters Moses and Henry, wayward soldiers who seem to embody the very essence of chaos.

As night begins to fall, the three women are awoken by an unsettling series of noises emanating from outside their home. To their dismay, they soon discover the source of these disturbances: Moses and Henry, accompanied by an unrelenting fervor for destruction. The ensuing shootout is a chaotic maelstrom of gunfire and screams, with Henry claiming Louise as his own through a heinous act of violence. Mad, fueled by righteous indignation, takes swift action to dispatch her attacker, while Augusta's efforts manage only to leave Moses gravely injured but very much alive.

In the aftermath of this brutal confrontation, the trio retreats to their kitchen, where Mad shares a haunting tale of childhood trauma and the repeated violation she suffered at the hands of predators. The night air is heavy with tension as they await the arrival of reinforcements or potential threats. It is in this precarious environment that Bill, Mad's long-absent lover, appears, only to meet his untimely demise at the hands of Augusta's accidental gunfire. As he expires, he issues a dire warning: "They're coming," implying a devastating reckoning that will leave nothing but scorched earth and shattered lives in its wake.

The morning light reveals Moses still clinging to life, his wounds a testament to the ferocity of their earlier encounter. He confesses to being a "bummer" - a soldier dispatched ahead of the main army to forage for supplies and root out deserters or stragglers. His words are laced with malevolent intent as he warns Augusta that Billy is on his way, hell-bent on unleashing destruction upon everything in his path. With cold calculation, she ends Moses' suffering, her actions a stark testament to the harsh realities of war.

As the sun dips toward the horizon, the three women are left to ponder their options and the uncertain fate that awaits them. They opt to don the clothing of their fallen foes, transforming themselves into makeshift soldiers in an attempt to defend their home against the coming tide of destruction. With a sense of grim determination, they set their house ablaze, the flames serving as a beacon warning of their unwavering resolve to face whatever terrors lie ahead.

As the camera pans out, the trio disappears into the distance, their figures swallowed by the approaching darkness. The Union Army's vanguard can be seen closing in on their homestead, its members driven by a singular purpose: to reduce everything in their path to ashes and rubble.