The Old Oak is the name of a pub which also serves as the title of Ken Loach's latest film. And as the director's final feature, it's a good reference to him as well - unwavering, deeply rooted and long a part of the English landscape.
After I, Daniel Blake and Sorry We Missed You, the movie completes a trilogy all set in contemporary northeast England.
Like those films, The Old Oak could not be made by anyone else but British cinema's greatest proponent of social realism. It paints a bleak picture of abandoned people in an abandoned region - one where life in a former mining village is centred on the titular last pub standing. The village reaches a flashpoint when the authorities send Syrian refugees to live in the town's worthless crumbling houses, one traumatised group living alongside locals who mostly resent their arrival into their impoverished streets.
But unlike its two predecessors, The Old Oak has a happy, hopeful ending. In fact - spoiler alert - it ends with a parade. Loach filmed the finale against the annual Durham Miners' Gala, which last year attracted 200,000 people to the cathedral city. It might seem fitting that the final reel of Loach's career involves some union banner waving. Given his near-30 feature films and decades of television drama before that, he possibly deserves a brass band in his send-off.
Denne historien er fra December 16-22, 2023-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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Denne historien er fra December 16-22, 2023-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.