MOVIE REVIEW
The facts of history disprove this wholeheartedly , but perhaps Asante wished to blur the lines of this inconvenient truth .
This is why , from the very beginning , the audience is jarred by the almost surreal set-up of these London church events , well-intentioned but rare , where interracial dialogue is commonplace and even dancing and socialising is uninhibited . The London of 1947 seems to exist in two parallel and polarised dimensions : a liberal , jazz-loving , educated left wing crowd of the young and hip , and a belligerent and ignorant lower class who refute the opportunity for change . It is they who attack Seretse , infuriated by the sight of him and Ruth walking arm-in-arm in the early London morning .
While Ruth ’ s father is not pleased by their union , he seems to be more perplexed about the social implications than the reality of his daughter marrying a black man and moving across the world . Even Ruth ’ s sister , the one who introduced her to this biracial world in the first place , encourages Ruth to avoid the marriage , claiming it would be the best for both parties . Her patronising approach to Ruth ’ s choices counters her ideology , and the result is a character who is onedimensional and flat .
The love between Ruth and Seretse is most certainly a historical fact and one that defied the vehement racism of the 1940s . It was uproarious , controversial and intensely opposed by citizens of both countries , parliament and their families . This dynamic is distorted and nuanced to the point of frustration for the audience . The “ love conquers all ” version of events avoids Asante having to make any real or relevant social commentary in the film and reduces the phenomenal strength of the pair to that of trite Shakespearean star-crossed lovers – their strife for acceptance and journey to integration a mere bump in the historical road .
It is not only the dynamic between the pair that is romanticised , but the African colonial world too . In doing so , backdrops of African sunsets and longshots of wildlife grazing on clear and empty lands mask the discontent of an oppressed people . The oppression is somewhat negated , and it is implied that while the white British rule is definitive , the tribe “ does have a say ”. This prevarication of the issues borders on the absurd as the cruelty of the British rule is overlooked in favour of a much softer slant .
Cinematographer Sam McCurdy is lacking in innovation and inspiration , and much of the camera work is familiar to the audience . McCurdy is definitely a capable artist ; the pathetic fallacy of London shot almost entirely in darkness and rain is what sets up the enormity of the contrast to the spectacular warmth and light of Africa . The idea is poetic , but its execution is less so .
While Rosamund Pike and David Oleweyo each give a stellar performance , the stand-out stars of the show are the supporting actors . Jack Davenport ’ s portrayal of Sir Alistair Canning perfectly depicts a British Empire diplomat , utterly vile in his precociousness . Terry Pheto plays Naledi , sister of Seretse , who endears herself with her incredible strength and visible talent . If anything , she has only grown as an actor since her Oscar-winning debut in Tsotsi . Asante ’ s own acting background certainly pays off in her ability to draw out great skill from her cast .
While A United Kingdom is a crowd-pleasing film , it ’ s a shame that Asante did not utilise the opportunity to shatter convention and redirect our gaze to the past as an inward reflection of how much ( if anything ) has changed . The film is a delight and is certainly enjoyable , but it functions strictly within the generic framework of the biopic . ■
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