Ken Loach's latest film "The Old Oak" is a sincere account of solidarity against anti-refugee racism in a small ex-mining town in the north of England. While lacking in artistry and three-dimensional characterization, the film's tendency to use characters exclusively as mouthpieces is dramatically tedious. Nonetheless, the chemistry between the two leads leads to a relationship rarely seen in cinema: a platonic friendship between an older man and a younger woman born of mutual respect.
British director Ken Loach's latest film, "The Old Oak," tackles the issue of Syrian refugees arriving in a failing blue-collar town in northern England and the anger it provokes among certain residents looking for a scapegoat to pin their problems on. The film follows the friendship between Yara, a young Syrian refugee, and TJ, an aging local who's given up hope in a place on the brink of collapse. Loach's natural intimacy and slow-burn narrative build up to emotional high points, showing how culture can bring people together.
British filmmaker Ken Loach has announced that his upcoming film, "The Old Oak," set to premiere at Cannes, will likely be his last feature film due to the physical demands of filmmaking and his declining faculties. Loach had previously hinted at retirement in 2014 but was inspired to make "I, Daniel Blake" due to shifting UK politics. "The Old Oak" is set in a former mining village and revolves around a pub that becomes a hotbed of tension after the arrival of Syrian refugees.
Ken Loach has stated that his latest feature film, The Old Oak, will likely be his last due to his age and declining facilities. The film, set and shot in the northeast of England, revolves around a pub in a former mining village that becomes a hotbed of tension following the arrival of Syrian refugees. Loach's career spans over 60 years, during which he has directed social-realist classics and historic dramas, and won numerous awards, including two Palmes d'Or at Cannes. While he may retire from narrative filmmaking, he hasn't ruled out making another documentary.
