A United Kingdom

Film (2017)

With David Oyelowo (Seretse Khama), Rosamund Pike (Ruth Williams)

He, Seretse Khama (David Oyelowo), was black and African royalty, and she, Ruth Williams (Rosamund Pike), was a British office worker and white. They met in England where he was studying. They danced, they fell in love and they got married. And then they discovered, in the late 1940s, that not everybody in England or in Bechuanaland (later, Botswana) where he was in line to be king, was thrilled with the idea.

But their love was ardent and deep and they pursued every avenue at their command to enable them to remain married and for him to accede to his position of leadership. This was the era of widespread British imperialism and Africa was saturated with Brits who felt they owned the place. To boot, the very racist South Africa was just to the south of Bechuanaland and posed a constant political threat right next door.

The love story is indeed lovely, and the two principals, David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike, make interracial love in the 1940s look easy. They are both very good actors and their affection and passion do not seem forced. They convey a sweet devotedness that prevails in their early romance and that sets the tone for the later political showdowns. And though not unexpected, it’s wonderful to watch the drama of their challenge to be eventually welcomed into the tribal scene in Bechuanaland and to have their exemplary affection count for something of significance.

The racism of the age is epitomized in an ugly street scene, but more prevalently and convincingly in the starchy and tight-lipped deliveries of the British envoys who seem hell-bent on destroying Seretse’s chances of being king and remaining married to Ruth. But this is a political story as well as a love story and Seretse’s engineering of techniques to sway the British authorities, through tribal support and astutely judging the fortunes of natural resource economics, is engaging and interesting.

The story is true and the rendition is historical, and for a good amount of the narrative the account is fairly straightforward and sober. Towards the end, however, the sweeping chords rise and the romanticism of the account becomes more pronounced which tends to sweeten the result a bit too much. The facts speak for themselves, and the wonderfully subtle performances by Oyelowo and Pike help maintain the dignity of the tale without sending it over the top. A few more great tribal choruses and a few less sweeping strings in the score might have tuned the culmination to this more subtle pitch, and though not exemplary of monumental filmmaking, the overall result is warmly satisfying and inspiring.

– BADMan