It’s a large undertaking today when setting out to make a historical drama. The task can loom even larger when romance is also a part of the proceedings. While a noble attempt, A United Kingdom tries to please all parties, shorting itself in the process.
The story focuses on the relationship of Sereste Khama (David Oyelowo) and Ruth Williams (Rosamund Pike), whose love tested not only their families, but each of the countries they called home. They each possess strong personalities, even before they meet. When they do, at a church dance, there’s a buzz in the air. They have a whirlwind courtship, primarily expressed through dancing to jazz, discussing jazz and trading jazz records. While dealing with the adversity the two face in being together, Sereste let’s Ruth know that he is actually a Prince. Sent to London years ago to study law until he was old enough to take the throne, his studies are now coming to an end. With a love as strong and palpable as their’s is, he jumps at the opportunity to propose to Ruth. At minute 15.
While the rushed pace does linger for the remainder of the runtime, it’s here in the early going that it feels most disjointed. The editing is mostly to blame, cutting in the middle of conversations, as shots are established, or as information is conveyed. It leads to a weird syncopation, one whose reverberations are far reaching. Only once in the movie do the abrupt edits lead to a happy accident. Enraged by his latest setback, Sereste moves his arm in angle to clear his desk. Just as the papers start to take flight, we cut away.
Director Amma Asante tries to inject A United Kingdom a sense of languid beauty to her scenes. Think an old “Merchant Ivory” film and you’re not way off. Sweeping vistas, London shrouded in fog, achingly beautiful sunsets. All of thse serve as backdrops to an honestly sweet, if truncated, romance. The hallmarks are hit, but at the same time, the weight beneath rings false.
It’s a shame that sentimentality gets played up for much of A United Kingdom, as the events covered are thoroughly compelling. Stretching from 1947 till roughly 1962, the story feels a timely now as it did when it took place. How it’s presented, though, comes off just this side of melodramatic. Allister Canning (a sneering Jack Davenport), working on behalf of the British government, arrives at Ruth’s place of work and utters a word she’s never heard before: Apartheid. This is important as the British are desperate to keep their ties to South Africa strong. At the same time, Sereste has an equally difficult set of obstacles before him. Chiefly among them, his Uncle refuses to allow him to take his rightful place as King of Bechuanaland, entirely due to his choice of wife.
Things go from bad to worse, quickly, as complications force the lovely couple to be continents across. Their love takes a back seat as Ruth learns to care for her people and Sereste contends with a government more content to place him in exile rather than make a humane choice.
Where the movie truly comes alive is with the acting. Oyelowo bring the same intensity to Sereste Khama, that he did to MLK. He brings an intelligence to each confrontation, even when his adversaries think they have the upper hand. Of course, the standouts are the few moments he addresses an audience. The first speech is one of the most rousing moments in the film. It is full of emotion, conviction and is conducted with a furvor to move even the most hard-hearted.
Equally good, for entirely different reasons, is Pike. She embodies Ruth with a measure of quiet nobility, observing the actions of everyone, striking when least expected. If Oyelowo is a driving force, Pike is the one pushing him forward. Their chemistry and teamwork elevate everything that surrounds them and keeps the film from falling over itself.
The supporting cast is stacked with talented character actors, though severely underused. There’s also the insidiously named Rufus Lancaster, the District Commissioner in Bechuanaland. Tom Felton plays the character as if Jonathan Pryce was slowly turning into a squirrel wearing glasses. Terry Pheto puts up a strong front initially as Sereste’s sister. She too falls prey to conventional storytelling the 2nd time she appears.
The title itself is even a misstep. By calling it A United Kingdom, it tries to convey a sense of duality. Both country and relationship can come together to be stronger than imagined. In the context of the film, there are no stakes. Sereste’s countrymen always have his back. The love between he and Ruth is never tested. When their backs are against the way, they are brought together, quickly. What drama there is comes in the form of backdoor machinations, and the promises/betrayals of an unseen Winston Churchill.
Futhering this divide are a series of intertitles that close out the film. Long a staple within the “based on a true story” template, here they promote greater victories the Khamas accomplished, outside the runtime. What’s more glaringly absent, and would have served as a great bit of dramatic irony, is the fact that Sereste was knighted by the Queen of England shortly after the independence of Botswana was established.
With a stronger reliance on patience and wide scope explored, A United Kingdom could have been something truly special. As it stands now, it’s a rushed, sometimes cloying, manufactured film, more concerned with pleasing an audience than telling the full story of Seretse and Ruth Khama. That’s a shame since their struggles and accomplishments through history still resonate today. If it cements anything, it just further confirms that David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike are fiercely powerful actors. They are worthy of better and more measured scripts.
