A reassuring quote, usually incorrectly attributed to St. Augustine, observes that “Hope has two daughters: Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are.”
Far too many people, these days, have shunned that second daughter.
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| When an unlikely friendship develops between Syrian newcomer Yara (Ebla Mari) and pub owner TJ (Dave Turner), it's viewed as a betrayal by some of his longtime neighbors and customers. |
This also is the 16th film Loach has made with scripter Paul Laverty: a collaboration that began with 1996’s Carla’s Song. Their oeuvre is dominated by brutally unhappy stories that focus on struggling, working-class individuals driven to — and often beyond — their breaking point. These films are well-crafted statements of rage against real-world systems that seem deliberately designed to crush ordinary folks ... and they’re often quite painful to watch.
The Old Oak, however, is a bit different ... although, at first blush, it doesn’t seem that way.
The year is 2016, the setting a village in Northeast England: once a thriving mining community, now fallen on hard times. Shops are boarded up, and most former residents have left; many of those who remain are frustrated, depressed, bitter and — yes — angry. The town’s sole remaining gathering spot is its only pub: The Old Oak, run by TJ Ballantyne (Dave Turner).
But even TJ is barely hanging on by his fingertips. The pub’s larger “function space” has been locked for years, due to unrepaired plumbing and electrical issues; the regulars are limited to the smaller space in front of the bar. This sense of slow-motion collapse is conveyed cleverly as the film begins, when TJ — prior to opening one morning — attempts, without success, to straighten the final outdoor letter in the pub’s name.
And as far as many of the locals are concerned, things get much worse on this particular day, when a busload of Syrian refugees arrives unexpectedly. Because so many houses have remained empty for so long, they’ve been advertised at fire-sale prices by distant landlords — sometimes based in other countries (!) — who couldn’t care less how this practice destroys the value of the homes owned by the villagers who remain.
One such victim is TJ’s boyhood friend Charlie (Trevor Fox), who with his wife did all the right things: They worked hard, raised a family, bought the terraced house they initially rented, and maintained it throughout the years, believing it a secure investment that would fund a happy retirement. Now, through no fault of their own, that carefully nurtured plan has crumbled into dust.
