A review of the new film “The Old Oak”
Ken Loach is a singular British director who addresses social issues that few others consider and does so in a characteristically humanist, even socialist, style. so it’s rather sad to learn that this is probably the last work from the 87 year old filmmaker.Following “I, Daniel Blake” (the benefits system) and “Sorry We Missed You” (the gig economy), “The Old Oak” – the title is the pub where much of the action unfolds – looks at the way some working class people (the story is set in the north-east of England) react to the arrival of refugees from war-torn Syria (the sitting is 2016). Like the previous two films, the mood is almost unremittingly grim, although this time there is an attempt to manufacture an uplifting ending.
As with all Loach’s work, the director highlights an important social issue with force and passion, but his approach is didactic. As so often, the characters are one-dimensional and the dialogue is rather leaden (the script is from Loach’s regular screenwriter Paul Laverty) and the cast is mostly unknown and inexperienced (it often shows). So a worthy, but ultimately rather underwhelming, finale from Ken Loach.