Standing up for what you believe in comes down to the passion and commitment you have for what you are fighting for. In the case of Amma Asante‘s latest, A United Kingdom, David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike fight for love. Hopeless romantics around the world would agree, love knows no bounds or skin color, but before we got to where we are now, one couple courageously stood up for their belief and their belief in one another.
Based on the true story, A United Kingdom follows Oyelowo and Pike who portray an interracial couple Seretse Khama and Ruth Williams, fighting for their love in 1940’s London. When Khama, the Prince of Botswana, must return to his home country he lays it all on the line choosing Williams as his wife. This causes an international uproar as well as in his own homeland where the couple is headed. The apartheid South African government does not welcome this union nor the prince.
A United Kingdom is Amma Asante’s third film in the director’s chair. Asante has quite the eye and talent for delicate storytelling, she’s received much praise for 2013’s Belle, a story about a young mixed-race girl, living in the 18th century. Asante’s cast – Oyelowo and Pike have received similar praise throughout the years. Oyelowo’s performance in Selma as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is stunning, and his work in HBO’s Nightingale only affirms his reputation for being solid actor. Pike’s Oscar nomination as the crazed and cynical Amy Dunne in Gone Girl showcases the incredible range she’s able to reach.
The film will premiere at Toronto International Film Festival and open the 60th London Film Festival. This will be the second year in a row that a British film directed by a woman will open the festival. A United Kingdom is set to open in the UK November 25th. Check out the trailer below.
Leave a Comment