In this year’s “Loving,” Jeff Nichols depicted with subtle grace the true story of an interracial couple who fought for the simple right to legally declare their union. And now from across the globe comes another true story with the same idea at the core, only this time where the stakes aren’t just a relationship, but the very structures of power within the British empire.
Directed by Amma Asante, and starring David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike, “A United Kingdom” details what happened when King Seretse Khama of Botswana fell for a white woman in England during the 1940s. Here’s the official synopsis:
A UNITED KINGDOM is the true story of the forbidden love of King Seretse Khama of Botswana (David Oyelowo) and Ruth Williams (Rosamund Pike), a white woman from London, which caused an international uproar when they decided to marry in the late 1940’s just as apartheid was being introduced into South Africa. It was a decision that altered the course of African history.
“A United Kingdom” opens on February 17, 2017.
