The Old Oak

No one can deny that our world is deeply divided. On a global scale, the plight of refugees fleeing conflict zones provokes strong emotions, which in turn breed prejudice, drive a wedge between communities, question long-held traditions, and make it harder for those who have lost loved ones, are uprooted, and are trying to find their place in the world.

Ken Loach tackles these profound issues in his movie, The Old Oak. Loach has made a name for himself with politically charged films. This one is no different, and he tackles these difficult and sensitive issues with empathy and nuance. The performances of Dave Turner and Ebla Mari (who plays Yara, one of the Syrian refugees) are outstanding, and they convey the soul and the pain of the characters. The performances from the non-professional cast are uneven, but I didn't feel this ever detracted from the film, which, at times, can feel like a blunt weapon. This film contains a few scenes that are absolutely blazing with intensity.

The Old Oak brings up some important questions for us, such as how to encourage kindness and unity in our neighbourhoods. How do social media platforms affect local communities? And how can our communities' cultural divides be closed? They are all handled in a compelling, dramatic, and powerful way.

If you are interested in watching films that are socially relevant, making a trip to the cinema to watch The Old Oak is something you should absolutely do. In a world that is becoming more and more torn apart, this is a powerful call for compassion and solidarity.

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

T. J. Ballantyne (Dave Turner) is the owner and proprietor of The Old Oak, a rundown, last surviving pub in a former mining town in the North East. Separated from his son, and with only local community activist Tania (Debbie Honeywood) and a few regulars for company, T. J.'s life was saved a few years ago by a small pet dog, who he now enjoys taking for walks. But when a group of Syrian refugees arrive in the town, whilst a housing crisis beckons, it causes a divide among T. J. and his former mining friends. When refugee Mara (Elha Mari) suggests they use the power of cooking to form a bond, it forces everyone to show their true colours.

The third film set in the North East from director Ken Loach and writer Paul Laverty, and reportedly the last film from eighty-seven year old Loach, effectively forms something of a trilogy, after 2019's Sorry We Missed You and 2016's I, Daniel Blake. Curiously, Loach has chosen to set this film in 2016, the year the latter of those two films was released, and more notably the year of 'the Brexit vote.' A few of the characters espouse the attitudes of many that people would have associated with a Brexit voter, but perhaps in a film centred around immigration, Loach wanted to show the average voter on the matter might have had more nuanced outlook on the matter than many might have thought.

Loach has crafted his trademark sense of realism once again, but the sense of urgency generated from scenes in previous films is missing here, in spite of the tensions that the central protagonists in the film are facing, instead meandering along, with drama flaring here and there, but at more of a leisurely, undramatic pace. That's not to say there aren't some powerful, wrenching moments that strike at the heart, there just feels less to lose. You do really get the impression of a place that was once prosperous that has been left to rot, a place full of desperate individuals who find themselves joined by some similarly desperate people. As T. J. notes at one point, why do we blame those at the bottom instead of those at the top.

Even the ending nods to a sense of hope in spite of despair, unlike Loach's other more recent output. If this is his last film, it won't be remembered as his best, but certainly a memorable swansong. ***

I am one of the projectionists in the local small town cinema with only two or three shows per week. The end titles of a film is not only for crediting all people involved in the production, it is also a time to reflect and contemplate on what you experienced when watching the movie, and you can measure how touched people were by how long they stay during the end titles. When The Old Oak was the movie for the evening not a single one in the audience got up from their seats until the last line in the credits had passed, the screen had faded to black and the curtains closed. That is a mark of a very touching movie!

I thought that Yara and TJ were very good characters. In fact, I'm disappointed to have seen an interview with the actor who played TJ who said that's going to be his one and only film. I'd really like to see him again in more movies. I am sure we will see the actress who played Yara again. I like films that are naturalistic. There are so many films in which conversations are so slick and word perfect and that simply does not reflect real life for most people. Both Yara and TJ were like people that I have met in real life and so I could relate to them very easily in the film..

I've seen criticism of this work based on some characters in the film being "wooden ". But again, people can be pretty wooden in real life and so it is not unreasonable to have that depicted in films here and there. We can't all be as smooth as George Clooney or Meryl Streep.

The character, Charlie put me in mind of Mark Kermode (due to his looks, not his conduct). To me, he was very much like Mark Kermode with a grey rinse.

I thought that the actor who played the electrician was very good and very reminiscent of contractors I have met.

I found the film moving and engaging.

These times they are a changing far too quick, after decades of the same worn politics, with mind-sets mired in hate, they just want to close the gate, and ignore those who need help, from their conflict; but there are those who have an empathetic heart, who can remove the barriers from their ramparts, some have travelled far and wide, some more permanent reside, both camps realise the need for a new start; so they build a bridge and start to make a deal, by renovating rooms to share their meals, a community is born, amid the contempt and the scorn, all for one, and one for all, is how they feel.

Wonderful performances all round.