A United Kingdom

In post-World War II Britain, the king (David Oyelowo) of the African nation of Bechuanaland (now Botswana) marries a typist for Lloyd’s of London (Rosamund Pike). Their interracial union not only alienates both their families, but also enrages the apartheid government in neighboring South Africa, sparking an international incident and revealing the genteel racism of the English diplomatic establishment (personified by Jack Davenport and Tom Felton). Written by Guy Hibbert and directed by Amma Asante, the movie is an inspiring true story abetted by a decorously professional execution. There’s nothing wrong with it, but it has a stolid predictability, moving from frustration to triumph with the clanking regularity of a well-built clock that nevertheless could do with a little oiling. J.L.