Amma Asante’s A United Kingdom stars David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike as real-life married couple Seretse Khama and Ruth Williams. In 1947, Khama, a member of Bechuanaland’s royal family, fell in love with a white British woman while studying in United Kingdom. Their interracial marriage in the era of apartheid led to backlash from both nations’ governments and Khama’s exile, but love eventually triumphed, and Khama became the first president of Botswana in 1966.
As Oscar bait, it’s pretty much irresistible: a true story about race, injustice, and love overcoming the odds. And if A United Kingdom’s plot sounds vaguely familiar, it might be because there’s another movie coming out this year about a famous forbidden interracial marriage, and it’s also based on a true story: Jeff Nichols’ Loving, another strong Oscar contender. Asante’s last film, Belle, was a masterful period piece (and one that landed a spot in Slate’s black film canon), and given A United Kingdom’s star power and subject matter, it’s hard to imagine A United Kingdom won’t be similarly worthwhile.
A United Kingdom will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.
