Movie Review: ‘A United Kingdom’ (2016) A review of a movie about a cross-cultural marriage with political implications.
Love knows no borders. That’s one of the main messages of A United Kingdom. This is a film based on the true story of Seretse Khama (David Oyelowo), the heir to the kingdom of Bechuanaland (modern Botswana), and Ruth Williams (Rosamund Pike), a ‘white’ clerical worker from London. The couple wanted to get married and faced a series of challenges to this from family and the powers-that-be in both countries.
The central protagonists meet in foggy post-World War II London. Khama is with friends at a function, he is holding forth on tactical approaches to dealing with the colonial power. The acting of Oyelowo in this scene and a couple of similar ones when addressing crowds in his homeland is electric. Ruth Williams looks at him, rightly mesmerised by his rhetoric and things move rapidly from there. The chemistry between the actors is one of the positiv
A United Kingdom (M, 111 mins) Directed by Amma Asante ★★★★½ With his university legal education almost complete, Seretse Khama (David Oyelowo) knows its time to return home. Sent to Britain to learn how to rule his country, the Prince of Bechuanaland (what s now called Botswana) is now ready to assume his crown. But there s just one problem – he s fallen in love. London office worker Ruth Williams (Rosamund Pike) is certainly not what his currently ruling Uncle or tribe expected as the new mother of their nation. Even more aggrieved are the British government, who accuse the couple of flagrant disregard of the political climate . Surrounding African nations have already expressed their displeasure at the prospect of an inter-racial couple at the apex of Bechuanaland and South Africa with its newly minted Apartheid policy (this is 1948) is threatening to make life difficult for the Brits in Africa if they don t stop this outrage. Some even think the ma