The Old Oak

10/8/2023

Set in a rapidly fading Northern English mining town, this tells the tale of an attempt to integrate some Syrian refugees fleeing the terror in their own country into a community that it still reeling from the systematic closure of their own livelihoods. Much of the story is based around the run-down "Old Oak" boozer which is run by the relatively open-minded "TJ" (Trevor Fox) who is pretty much a lone voice when it comes to welcoming these strangers to a place that's been devoid of investment - and hope - for many a year. Most of the locals see them fed and housed and, frankly, they resent it. Homes that they bought many years ago are now worth 20% of their former value, people and their families are trapped and their traditions and culture is dying. It's keen photographer "Tania" (Debbie

6/9/2024

A lack of familiarity can produce so many needless problems, especially when it involves individuals about whom we know little or nothing. That lack of understanding can consequently yield issues that plainly aren’t warranted and, more importantly, can be easily dispensed with by simply taking the time to find common ground. Such is the case in what is said to be the final film from legendary director Ken Loach, who tells the story of a group of Syrian refugees who relocate and settle in an economically depressed former coal mining town in northern England. The locals, who themselves are struggling to get by, are far from welcoming to the new arrivals, who have essentially lost everything and are merely looking for a place to start over. In many respects, both constituencies have much in c

4/25/2026

**The Old Oak (2023)** _Directed by Ken Loach_ Unlike most directors, Ken Loach's films are rarely character or narratively driven; he's the master, maybe the creator, of emotionally driven film. Plot is secondary to feeling, structure is secondary to truth. And one thing is absolutely certain: no one leaves a Ken Loach and Paul Laverty film and forgets about it. They always touch the heart. The Old Oak is no different. Set in a dying former mining town in Northern England, the film follows T.J. Ballantyne (Dave Turner), who runs The Old Oak, the last pub standing, the only remaining public space for a community that's fallen on hard times. When Syrian refugees fleeing war are resettled in the town, tensions erupt. The locals, already decimated by deindustrialization and austerity