Five years after the Michael Caine vehicle Harry Brown hit theaters, director Daniel Barber has returned to the director’s seat with a revisitation to period drama, which he first explored with his Oscar nominated short The Tonto Woman. With The Keeping Room, he, along with Brit Marling, Sam Worthington, Hailee Steinfeld and newcomer Muna Otaru, relive the end of the American Civil War still firmly wrapped in the fraying husks of racism and sexism, yet his tale, penned by first time screenwriter Julia Hart, sees these barriers burned to the ground in a fit of valiantly feminine retaliation.
Bolstered by a set of strong female performances, Barber’s essentially feminist film premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. I had the opportunity to sit down with the director to discuss how he came to the project, if he had any apprehensions about tackling American racism as a British filmmaker, and (spoilers) the crucial shot that closes the film. Our conversation can be found below:
