STORYLINE: THE OLD OAK is a special place. Not only is it the last pub standing, but it’s also the only remaining public space where people can meet in a once thriving mining community that has now fallen on hard times after 30 years of decline. TJ Ballantyne (Dave Turner) the landlord hangs on to The Old Oak by his fingertips, and his predicament is endangered even more when the pub becomes contested territory after the arrival of Syrian refugees who are placed in the village without any notice. In an unlikely friendship TJ meets a curious young Syrian Yara [Ebla Mari] with her camera. Can they find a way for the two communities to understand each other? So unfolds a deeply moving drama about their fragilities and hopes. (IMDb) 

      The 2024 summer movie season has begun. This is a time when big budget spectacles arrive in theaters like fireworks. Mixed in are small independent films. These are like spices in the kitchen cabinet that make the meal all that more flavorful. The first film I have seen this summer season is one of these smaller, flavorful films The Old Oak.

    I sat down eagerly anticipating the latest film from director Ken Loach, whose work I have thought highly of over the years. The Wind That Shakes the Barley is a particular highlight for me.  I found The Old Oak tp be a powerful and politically relevant film.  

   What makes the film work are the performances. This includes not just the characters that the audience is routing for but the ones that are written to make you uncomfortable.  The way each character develops, in some cases doesn’t develop, creates a compelling layer to the story. That I felt The Old Oak away from being another run of the mill film about two cultures clashing. 

   Seeing a small film was a great way to start the 2024 summer movie season espically one as moving as The Old Oak.  There will be plenty of time and big blockbusters to see as the temperatures rise over the next few months. 

    Until next time I will see you at the movies!