The Keeping Room

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EXT. ROAD - MORNING

A BLACK WOMAN, ALMA, walks towards us, hauling a BUNDLE

of newly cut CANE. And then --

She spots a DOG.

The dog GROWLS at her. This gives her pause, until...

She begins to GROWL right back at it.

And then the dog starts to BARK.

So she starts to BARK too.

There’s some distance between them, but here they are,

barking. It’s loud and strange and just this side of

surreal. Until -The

dog gives in. The woman wins.

The dog sits, panting. And then -The

dog turns and trots down the road. Surprised, Alma

watches him go, craning her neck until she sees...

A GRAND CARRIAGE

Pulled by TWO HORSES, stopped by the side of the road.

A frail, old CARRIAGE DRIVER sits atop.

The dog stops next to the carriage. Sits.

Alma approaches, cautious, until -A

SCREAM:

From the carriage.

SUDDENLY --

A WHITE WOMAN, PRUDENCE, bursts from the carriage,

running like a banshee. Her FINE CLOTHES are undone,

cascading around her body.

The DOG takes off after her, BARKING.

(CONTINUED)

2.

Alma watches her run, and then -BANG!

Prudence falls to the ground, DEAD.

The dog stops barking. Sniffs the body.

Alma shifts her gaze back towards the carriage, where she

can just make out the TIP of the BARREL of a GUN through

the open door.

And lowering his still smoking pistol, a MAN emerges from

the carriage in the uniform of a UNION SOLDIER.

He tucks his shirt into his unbuttoned pants.

This is HENRY. He’s slick and young and has the eyes of

an animal. It’s unclear if he knows right from wrong, or

if he even cares.

Casually, he buttons his pants.

Now the Carriage Driver sees Alma. A momentary look of

FEAR passes between them. And then Henry notices Alma,

she starts to back away, until -CLICK.

She stops.

A SECOND UNION SOLDIER comes up behind her. A GUN pointed

at her head.

And before she can even scream --

BANG!

He shoots her in the head. She falls down, DEAD.

This is MOSES.

He has the kind of good looks that are always getting him

into -- and out of -- trouble. For a man capable of such

cruelty, his eyes are surprisingly warm.

No one would call Moses a bad man, but they wouldn’t call

him a good one, either.

The Carriage Driver closes his eyes and looks away.

Henry smiles and takes an OLD FLASK he’s found in the

carriage. He takes a SIP and winces at the unexpected

taste of brandy.

(CONTINUED)

3.

And then -

He pulls a handkerchief out of his pocket, stuffs it into

the neck of the flask, looks up at the Carriage Driver...

And LIGHTS it, throwing it into the carriage. Henry has

his fun UNTIL --

The Carriage Driver GRABS the reigns and hits the horse,

who takes off -Moses

tries to stop the carriage, stepping IN FRONT of

it, but he is forced to get out of its way --

Air whips around the carriage, fanning the FIRE -Moses

raises his RIFLE -The

Carriage Driver keeps the horse running as the flames

begin to ENGULF the carriage and -BANG!

The Carriage Driver SLUMPS OVER. Dead.

But the horse and carriage continue to run.

Henry walks over to where Moses stands. They watch it as

it goes.

HENRY:

I coulda’ used a horse.

Moses looks in the direction of dead Prudence. He makes

sure Henry knows he could have had her first, for

himself.

MOSES:

I coulda’ used a woman.

He tosses his now spent cigarette and the soldiers

continue down the road, followed by their dog.

IN THE DISTANCE:

The BURNING CARRIAGE is pulled crazily along by the

horse.

And then, our title:

THE KEEPING ROOM

4.

EXT. FARMHOUSE - AFTERNOON

Still. Spare. Yellow. Brown.

The SOUND of HOES hitting dirt as images come in and out:

-- Some old TREES.

-- A FARMHOUSE, small but proud and in the middle of

everything, surrounded by all of its OUT BUILDINGS.

-- A PEN in a field with a single GOAT.

-- The KEEPING ROOM, a cabin-sized stand alone structure,

connected to the house by a WALKWAY.

-- The BARN.

And then, people:

LOUISE and MAD.

Louise is 16 and white. Mad is 30 and black. Both work

the field. Their clothes are worn and dirty.

It’s quiet, save for the noises of their hoes in the

earth.

Until...

A GUNSHOT.

The two women start. Everything stands stock still.

They hear a RUSTLING from the WOODS. They TURN.

Mad raises her HOE.

AND THEN --

A WOMAN emerges from the woods. SOMBER and STOIC.

A GOLDEN TEMPEST of hair mussed about her face and

falling down past her shoulders, her dirty dress tied up

around her legs, her boots worn and muddy.

She holds a RIFLE in her hands, but nothing else.

This is AUGUSTA.

Mad lowers her hoe, relieved.

Augusta walks towards the other women, their EYES

hopeful.

(CONTINUED)

5.

But when she walks past them the anger in her eyes tells

them all they need to know: there will be no meat

tonight.

INT. KEEPING ROOM - EVENING

The Keeping Room is self-contained. A little house unto

itself:
easy to heat, easy to cool. The small room is

overwhelmed by a large FARM TABLE in the middle. Cabinets

containing JARS and DRIED GOODS stand next to the door.

Windows line the one to the right. A SMALL STOVE is to

the left.

At the end of the table opposite the door is the

FIREPLACE. Pots bubble and spew inside it. The family’s

history hangs above the fire in the form of tintypes,

poppets, dried flowers, an OLD HAT, and several more pots

and pans.

The room is lit up not only by the fire, but also by

small OIL LAMPS that sit in the windows.

The three women barely use the big house now. This room

is their home. If it were big enough, they’d probably

sleep here.

Augusta sits at the head of the table, by the door, and

Louise sits next to her, playing with a SMALL DOLL.

Mad tends to a POT on the fire.

LOUISE:

Heard you shoot.

Mad gives Louise a look.

LOUISE (CONT’D)

...what was it?

Augusta doesn’t want to answer.

AUGUSTA:

Somethin’ small n’ fast.

LOUISE:

Rabbit?

AUGUSTA:

Maybe.

Louise thinks about how good that would taste.

They all do.

(CONTINUED)

6.

AUGUSTA (CONT’D)

Don’t even know if it was really there.

She remembers it for a moment.

AUGUSTA (CONT'D)

But once that gun goes off everythin’

livin’ is gone.

LOUISE:

Why’s it hard when the only thing there’s

you and the rabbit?

Mad spoons TURNIPS and CARROTS into a LARGE BOWL.

MAD:

The woods is big and the rabbit’s small.

She walks over to the table and places it next to a plate

of GROUND HOMINY.

LOUISE:

Can I start?

MAD:

We all goin’ to.

LOUISE:

I was asking my sister.

AUGUSTA:

(gently)

No need to talk to Mad like that.

LOUISE:

But she’s --

AUGUSTA:

(firmer)

Thought you wanted to eat.

Louise is about to say something else, but she gives in

and looks down at her plate.

Mad SITS. And with that, the three women dig in.

They eat with their hands. They’ve given up praying.

Over this --

Mad HUMS a haunting tune that takes us to --

7.

EXT. KEEPING ROOM - NIGHT

The three women EMERGE from the door, the lamps from the

windows in hand.

Augusta, RIFLE in her other hand, leads the way as the

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