Lovers fight for the right to be united in ‘Kingdom’
The opening note “based on a true story” can cover a multitude of movie sins. But in “A United Kingdom,” it unlocks the door to a romantic drama that grows more remarkable by the minute.
The real-life barriers facing Seretse Khama (David Oyelowo) and Ruth Williams (Rosamund Pike) when they fell in love in 1947 London were intimidating and overwhelming. Khama, an African, and Williams, a Briton, had to contend with far more than casual British racial prejudice and the horror of Williams’ father, who tells her, “You disgust me.” Much more. That’s because Khama was not just a handsome and charismatic African; he was also a prince of his native country, the British protectorate of Bechuanaland (now Botswana), and about to become king. Back home, Khama’s sister and the aunt who had raised him were aghast at the match, and so was much of the country’s population, especially his regent uncle Tshekedi Khama (Vusi Kunene), who said he was compromising Bechuanaland’s
future and demanded that he abdicate.
More than that, the love match between these two caused serious international political problems. Bechuanaland’s neighbor South Africa, which had started implementing its racial separation policy of apartheid, was furious at what it considered an affront. As an influential member of the Commonwealth, the country had enormous sway on British policy toward the protectorate.
As written by Guy Hibbert (“Eye in the Sky”) and directed by Amma Asante (“Belle”), “A United Kingdom” does a satisfying job of keeping all these balls in the air. The film’s assets also include its remarkable story, adapted from Susan Williams’ book “Colour Bar”; a director who knows how to convey its essence; and a superior cast that elevates the material.
Oyelowo has been connected to the project since before his performance as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in “Selma” (2014) brought him to prominence. The actor helped persuade Pike, much sought after since her portrayal of Amy in “Gone Girl,” to take the role of the unwavering Williams.
And after he saw “Belle,” a drama about the mixed-race daughter of a British admiral being raised by her aristocratic great-uncle in 18th-century England, Oyelowo wanted Asante to direct.
Falling in love wasn’t on Williams’ mind when she accompanied her sister, Muriel (“Downton Abbey’s” Laura Carmichael) to the Missionary Society Dance, where she meets Khama and bonds with him over a mutual love of American jazz and swing dancing.
The revelation to Williams that Khama is a future leader of his country comes fairly early in the film. “I will never achieve anything,” he tells her, “if I leave my heart here.”
Less convincingly por- trayed are a string of British Foreign Office officials such as Alistair Canning (Jack Davenport), who have their reasons for trying to derail this love match. By contrast, the film’s portrayal of key Africans, starting with but not limited to Oyelowo and Kunene’s performances, is one of “A United Kingdom’s” strengths. The film’s most effective nonromantic scene is one where Khama’s sister Naledi (Terry Pheto, from the Oscar-winning “Tsotsi”) and his aunt Ella (Abena Ayivor) have a “why would you do this to us?” confrontation with Williams, which has both substance and bite.
The married couple’s real-life battles against the forces arrayed against them were fought one skirmish at a time over several years. “A United Kingdom” conveys that it was by no means easy, but emphasizes their determination not to allow “the world’s ugliness to take our joy away.”
It doesn’t, and we are all the better for it.