Film Pick of the Week: The Old Oak - review by Yvette Huddleston

In recent work he has tackled poverty, austerity, the inequities of the gig economy in films such as I, Daniel Blake and Sorry We Missed You. In The Old Oak, with regular collaborator screenwriter Paul Laverty, Loach explores the complex issues surrounding the placing of desperate refugees, fleeing warzones to find safety, into locations and communities that are facing their own challenges. Set in a deprived former mining town in the north east, it introduces us to landlord TJ Ballantyne (Dave Turner) who is struggling to keep his pub The Old Oak going. He has a handful of regulars – all ex-miners, many of them embittered and angry – who prop up the place but it is looking shabby and unloved because TJ can’t afford its upkeep.

Then a group of Syrian refugees arrive to be housed in the town. While they are welcomed by some – including TJ and his friend Laura (Claire Rodgerson) who are volunteers for a local charity – they are regarded with suspicion by others. During an altercation with a hostile and vociferous local man, the camera of young Syrian refugee Yara (Ebla Mari), a photographer, is broken. Yara is with her mother and two younger siblings. The camera is precious to her as it was given to her by her father, who was arrested in Syria for opposing the regime and whose whereabouts are unknown. TJ offers to help by getting the camera fixed and it is the beginning of a warm friendship. He shows her the black and white photographs on the walls in the back room of The Old Oak, taken by a family member, which record the town’s mining history. Tensions rise in the community when some object to the fact that TJ agrees to the back room being used as a hub where refugees and local people can meet, eat together and get to know each other.

Ultimately, while it doesn’t sidestep bleak realities, it is a hopeful film that focusses on human kindness which is not in as short supply as we might think. And it highlights that when people recognise their common humanity and act together, they can make good things happen. It is a beautiful ending to a remarkable career.