‘The Old Oak’ Review – Ken Loach’s Farewell Stands Tall And Offers Needed Hope

There are some stories on film that seem tailor-made for the time we are in. But there are also stories that are timeless in theme. I think of this every time that I hear comments like “It’s a story we have seen before.” To be honest, this could be said about nearly every movie ever made. We can tell similar stories in different ways. The Old Oak is both needed right now and one of those timeless stories that is, sadly, still appropriate and necessary for our time. In what is rumored to be the last work we will see from filmmaker Ken Loach, we find, finally, a story of pure hope.

The film tells the story of the townspeople of the dilapidated village of County Durham. Set in 2016, during a time when England had accepted a large number of refugees from Syria, it follows TJ Ballantyne (Dave Turner), and his friendship with Yara (Ebla Mari) as she and her family enter the small town to a not so warm welcome. It is a story of not only hope but second chances and good old-fashioned decency.

Upon Yara’s entrance, on board a bus of refugees taking pictures of angry townspeople, Loach makes a perfect decision visually. The frames are in black and white, posed in genuine moments, forcing us to view them through a documentary lens. This enables a sense of reality that is both purposeful and necessary. We must see everyone in the film as real people, and not caricatures. There is no simplicity in these men and women, but the complexity of humanity. In lesser hands, this narrative would be an eye-roll-inducing, treacly sweet affair. Instead, Loach, along with screenwriter Paul Laverty, forces us to understand that, in reality, we know nothing about what people have experienced. This goes for the man behind the counter at the pub and the war refugee, alike.

The Old Oak only makes one error, and that is not quite trusting its audience enough. Several moments are overwritten, undoing some of the beautiful subtle emotions running through the piece. When Yara looks up at the beauty of the cathedral, those of us with a passing knowledge of world events realize there is a bittersweet quality due to her sharp sense of loss of her own culture. Besides that, the script finds a way to uncover our differences and similarities in stunning ways. Unlike most films of its ilk, there are no pure villains in this story. That is not to say that there are no characters we dislike, but if we are honest, we likely understand their perspective. This makes for an uncomfortable internal examination even as we hope for the better angels to win out.

This is mainly a two-hander and Loach has picked the best possible hands. Both Turner and Mari exude a kindness behind a protective exterior that is absolutely mandatory for this story to work. Although TJ is immediately a humane presence towards Yara, offering to fix her camera that was damaged by the unwelcoming crowd, he is never effusive or over the top in his willingness to help. The Old Oak never makes the mistake of allowing its characters to play the hero in a Hollywood way. Ebla Mari, in her film debut, handles a great deal of dialogue and emotional work with aplomb. Never does she seem out of her depth and she also manages to create a desire to lean in to her story. 

As the film slowly marches towards its conclusion, the script never telegraphs its next scene. Life is not a three-act structure. Life does not offer us perfect heroes. Life does not always give us a bosom friend. And when it does, life can rip them away. Not always through a direct confrontation, but often through a lack of care or indifference. Vile hatred is not our enemy, that would be too easy. It rarely comes across so directly. It is selfishness and siloed focus on survival that does us in. We need each other. Separating ourselves does us no favors. If we reach out to each other, we will find not only understanding but connection with people that we would not think possible. If Ken Loach has left the world of filmmaking, he has left us with empathy, kindness, and a world worth striving towards. 

The Old Oak will debut in select theaters on April 5, 2024, courtesy of Zeitgeist Films. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1rbgF4BpJ4]