The events of the film are largely left to stand on their own as an account of Mandela’s life. But because of the immense chronological ground that it has to cover, director Justin Chadwick doesn’t expend precious runtime dwelling too long on any one part of it. Instead, he opts for wrapping the film in a concise narrative and dropping viewers in on those moments that define not just the arc of the man, but also that of his wife and of their country. The approach is generally effective — largely owing to the performances of Elba and Harris, who pour enough emotion into their roles to make their characters’ journeys convincing — even though the film sometimes skips large chunks of time (admittedly, there isn’t much of a choice), which can be jarring. It does its best to highlight the impact of the civil unrest and political turmoil surrounding apartheid in South Africa, but its full scope is best appreciated by those viewers who have some pre-existing knowledge of it going in.