In this romantic drama set in post-war Britain and Bechuanaland (now Botswana), writer-director Amma Asante revives a long-forgotten chapter of Britain’s imperial history which still has resonance today. British-Nigerian actor David Oyelowo (whose stand-out performance as Martin Luther King in Selma was seen as having been undeservedly snubbed by the Academy in the ‘Oscars so white’ controversy) and Rosamond Pike (Oscar-nominated for Gone Girl) shine as the lovers breaking racial, class and political barriers.

Amma Asante began as a child actor in the TV series Grange Hill (as did Arnold Oceng, who appears in the film in the role of Charles). She left acting in her late teens and worked in TV screenwriting going on to make her directorial debut with the 2004 film A Way of Life, for which she received the BAFTA Carl Foreman Award for Special Achievement in a First Feature Film.

Her second film was Belle, about the mixed-race daughter of an African slave woman and a British navy captain brought up within the 18th century British aristocracy. Belle received critical acclaim and told as does A United Kingdom a forgotten true story which illustrates class, race and gender dynamics in British imperial history. She is now working on her fourth film, Where Hands Touch, a romantic drama centred on a mixed-race German girl and an SS officer.

Mr Oyelowo, who is one of the best actors working today onstage or onscreen, imbues his portrayal of Seretse … with a disarming delicacy and vulnerability … remarkable, genuinely riveting work. Glenn Kenny, New York Times.

With some style and wit, Assante revives the spirit and showmanship of Richard Attenborough, who I think would have really enjoyed this gutsy movie. Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian.