A United Kingdom – A Historical Film With an Exceptionally Timely Title

It’s a shame that A United Kingdom was released so late in the year, had it come out before June 23rd, 2016 it might have taught some unsuspecting people a few valuable lessons. This biopic covers the courtship and marriage of Seretse Khama, heir to the throne of Bechuanaland and Ruth Williams. The couple faced considerable opposition from their own families, the Labour government of Britain and even interference from South Africa which the British Government was trying to maintain an economic partnership with.

At face value, it’s a romance story between two people who had fallen in love but it’s clearly also an opportunity to explore themes of apartheid, ethnic bias, political skullduggery and the power of love to triumph over adversity. Jack Davenport and Tom Felton (both typecast now as horribly slimy villains) play the civil servant stooges of the British government who attempt to break up the couple. In one particularly charming scene, Davenport instructs Pike that she’ll have to end the engagement and is utterly incapable of comprehending when this post-WWII woman simply refuses to do as her government tells her. Almost as if she had the right and indeed obligation, as an English woman to act according to good conscience.

Felton comes across as a nasty little weasel but he’s had plenty of practice at that since a young age. I honestly felt sorry for him and it’d be nice to see some generous director give him both a lead role and that of the hero for a change.

Nicholas Lyndhurst plays the disapproving father of Ruth and Vusi Kunene is the equally disapproving uncle (and regent) of Seretse. Few members of the families support the couple although some soften their stance after a while. The British and Bechuanaland public take the side of the couple falling for their clearly nonsensical argument that in the middle of the 20th-century couples should really be getting married for love and not politics. How terribly foolish of them.

The performances of the main cast are all superb, as you would expect given their resumes. Oyelowo and Pike are particularly fine as the happy couple and there’s plenty of opportunities for them to milk the audience for sympathy. You certainly won’t be disappointed by the period detail either or the cinematography in Africa where a large portion of the film is set. The director, Amma Asante does a fine job of delivering this low-key story in an informative and engaging way. It’s even broadly historically accurate in that the changes they make are, as ever, unnecessary but not completely gross.