Amma Asante
Where Hands Touch is a disappointing and sketchy depiction of a tragic romance during one of history’s darkest periods.
A United Kingdom has plenty of flaws, but more than makes up for them with a heart and an affection that is utterly intoxicating.
Director Amma Asante examined race’s influence on social status in her breakout film Belle and continues that line of interest in her follow-up A United Kingdom. The focus shifts from British aristocracy to colonialism this time, delving into all the nasty idiosyncrasies of that setup. Based on the real life story of the interracial couple that broke Botswana from European rule, David Oyelowo’s Seretse Khama and Rosamund Pike’s Ruth Williams weren’t welcome in either partner’s homeland.
On Belle’s original release, I was intrigued by the film but felt no real urge to watch it. It almost seemed to sell itself on the back of its unusual story: a biracial woman born to aristocracy during the time of the slave trade.