‘The Old Oak’ – Review
Celebrated British filmmaker Ken Loach returns to the screen for what he’s called his swan song feature in The Old Oak, and the arthouse director brings clarity and compassion to a story of the power of connection and compassion.
Pub landlord TJ Ballantyne (Dave Turner), living in a previously thriving mining community in County Durham, struggles to hold onto his pub and keep it as the one remaining public space where people can meet in the town. Meanwhile, tensions rise when Syrian refugees are placed there, but Ballantyne strikes up a friendship with one of the refugees, Yara (Mari).
At age 87, British filmmaker Ken Loach has been a poignant voice in British and art-house cinema since the late 1960s and after a career of nearly 60 years, the celebrated filmmaker is ready to bow off from the stage. But before he goes, he is ready to offer us up one final last work, and The Old Oak has all the calling cards of classic Loach work and is a vintage example of the call for community spirit and working-class pride that has long been a staple of the filmmaker’s work. What we see in The Old Oak is a clash of two cultures, set in 2016; we find this story to be about Syrian refugees frantically fleeing a terrible situation and their confrontation with a largely white working-class neighbourhood that relegates them as outsiders. What develops is a layered and complex narrative that is a perfect example of Loach’s style and process.
With its narrative pulled directly from the headlines, Loach has cast unknown actors Dave Turner and Ebla Mari, as TJ and Yara, the film’s leads. Both TJ and Yara couldn’t be more unalike from one another, with Mari playing the plucky Yara, while Turner is the depressive TJ. But through circumstance, these two come together and soon find out that they have more in common than each other could have thought. Through their friendship, a desire is built between the two of them to see their little corner of the world grow stronger, and a sense of community soon grows behind them. The Old Oak is a film of highs and lows, and this narrative is played out through the interaction and connection between these two characters, we see the narrative grow as a direct result of these two characters and the trials that they face and overcome together strengthens the message that it is essential that we grow together.
The Old Oak is a film of massive compassion and heart, and its message of communal spirit is in keeping not only with Loach’s lauded work and thematic exploration but also with our current times and political landscape. In a year that has seemed so divided and lost, what we have here is a story calling for understanding and unity, with a message that we ultimately benefit more as a group and that the connections with others make our lives all the more fulfilled. If this is Loach’s final work, it is a film that stands as a worthy last statement to the message and direction of his storied career.
The Old Oak is a film all audiences can get behind, and its narrative of compassion and connection will leave its mark on its audience. It is a perfect end note to its director’s fantastic career, and audiences will come to appreciate this one deeply.
