It says something that Ken Loach, with writer Paul Laverty, have been making films like The Old Oak, Sorry We Missed You and I, Daniel Blake over the past 7-8 years, all rife with reality in the North East, and yet the stories are so familiar and nothing seems to change, led by a government and societal structure that continue to tear the fragile fabric of the UK – and whatever you chose to believe (or read in an era of social media unrest as well), this is rarely the immigrants or refugees making it more difficult to exist, it’s the way society is setup that’s actually messing with your life.

The title here refers to the local pub, as The Old Oak is the last one left in the area (the film was shot across County Durham, in locations including Murton, Easington Colliery and Horden), and if you know any community that’s struggling, then you’ll know how significant such places can be. Landlord TJ Ballantyne (superbly played by Dave Turner) is pushing the pub name letters back up with the end of a broom, as they hang off the front of the establishment with the same insecurity of the business itself.

In reality, this place also offers an open, personal space for the people here, and some of them have been there since it was a thriving mining town. Emotions run deep, and they’re challenged further after the arrival of Syrian refugees who are placed there without notice – and TJ is stuck in a place between helping them move in and feel welcome, while the anger of local people ferments at the edges of his bar. They feel as if the government is using their village as a dumping ground, and also ask why these ‘foreigners’ are given more help than them? But not all of this is true, or that straightforward. However, what unravels is an unlikely friendship between TJ and Ebla Mari’s Yara, who also gives a heartfelt performance, as their love for photography transcends nationality and their individual humanity is stronger than fear – as they both endeavour to create a community.

While the film undoubtedly reaches for the positive out of the troubled, I personally wanted to get an important thing straight – it’s never the fault of people leaving a warzone, it’s certainly not the fault of the people who’ve been displaced by their country and have arrived in the UK, and it’s not the fault of the people who already live here either. The Old Oak is a comment on such situations, and in places like the North-East, I can understand why there’s frustration – but it can be mistaken, and it’s saddening that the result is a creation of ‘them Vs us’ because overall, we’re all trying to lead a better life.

The Old Oak also highlights the ‘cost of living’ crisis, but I dislike that throwaway sequence of words – because it devalues the reality and makes it a normality, like we accept food banks as a part of everything, like we allow gas and electrical companies to march up profits over allowing people to just pay for what they use. Loach and Laverty’s film goes head on with how the government allow developers and out of the UK purchases to buy up housing stock. This is a country who currently rewards the hyper rich, and continues to neglect the poor, and if the government were parents, we’d all be taken into care.

But it’s all not melancholy as through vignettes, The Oak Old endeavours to celebrate little parcels of life. Important tiny moments to remind us that it’s harder to try than it is to complain, but it’s important, nevertheless. Also not forgetting it’s better to help than it is to hate and – a huge adage – to meet together and eat together. There’s absolutely no doubt that The Old Oak can be distressing, purposefully disturbing and downright heartbreaking in many places, yet it’s certainly a must-watch, even when it’s not easy, because this is a vital reminder we can all do more to help each other, and that it can rewarding for everybody.

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Extras

While not extensive, they’re insightful, taking us through The Legacy of Loach with the likes of Hayley Squires and Turner, plus Together explores the Syrian stories that inspired the film. There’s a deleted scene with the refugees, talking about how they want to contribute more than anything. I can see why it was cut though, given the technical flow of the original full scene. Which works as well as the words, but this is still worth playing.

Allegedly this might be Ken Loach’s last film, given that he’s 87 years of age, so it does make you wonder who’ll make these types of films in the future, because they’re vitally important as they give a voice to people who might not have one. Let’s hope that he has already inspired the next generation because stories like these, and Loach’s work throughout his career, always need to be given a platform.

The Old Oak is out now to own on Blu-ray or DVD: https://amzn.to/48EkbdN