Review of A United Kingdom (2016) by Serge L — 03 Apr 2018

Gone Girl has gone mental over marrying MLK.

A UNITED KINGDOM.

You've seen it, the impossible love story that tells us that love conquers all (cue the puke).Yet, the irony in this movie's title can't go unnoticed, in a time when our beloved UK is increasingly more separate. The title isn't a coincidence. It's a marketing ploy and, mostly, a political statement warning us about the drawbacks of Brexit. Whether you are in favor or not, this movie reminds you of a generic yet true message: that love has no borders, race or creed and we shouldn't incite separation between to lovers via a contract that has our political and economical agenda in mind. Sparking discussion is what this movie should do but... won't, as the average spectator will leave the theatre after crying over the happy ending and never give it another thought. I do not blame this on the audience, however, as I believe that inherently smart movies will intuitively lead to smart conversations. The problem is that there's nothing too relevant about this movie, nothing to praiseworthy. Except for the underwhelming music, everything else is just average. Yet I would say that the script needed way more doctoring as I felt a lack of emotional attachment. You see, a screenplay should be as pragmatic as possible but within that "as possible" there has to be room to breathe: scenes, movements, dialogue that doesn't overtly contribute to advance the plot. That's what makes us invest and believe in the reality the movie is trying to sell us which is lacking. Other thing that is worth mentioning about this movie is its female direction which is felt only in the way Asante treats her female characters (I'm not sure it should be felt in any other way). It made me realize that one of the last movies from a female director that I saw in theatres was DuVernay's Selma which also dealt with racism, although with more craftsmanship. But the reality of the matter is that if we are to have gender equality in our industry, women shouldn't be confined to directing female-driven o race related movies. They should direct action, musicals, average movies, crappy movies, the whole spectrum! A directorial effort should be regarded despite gender and bringing female directors wouldn't necessary bring better movies, but would certainly bring more varied ones. Returning to the film, do not get me wrong, this is an imporant and fairly well told story that you should check out if not only to learn something. But having just recovered from Oscar season, I need more.