Ken Loach’s final feature takes place in and around a pub in a northern English village, where not all of the locals are welcoming to newly arrived refugees from Syria.
The Old Oak is the last pub standing in a once thriving mining village in northern England, a gathering space for a community that has fallen on hard times.
When a group of Syrian refugees move into the floundering village, local residents fueled by prejudice, take out their anger and resentment on the community’s newest inhabitants. But the an unexpected friendship between the pub owner and a young Syrian woman opens up new possibilities for the divided village in this deeply moving drama about loss, fear, and the difficulty of finding hope.
Loach, who is 87 years old, has announced that The Old Oak will be his final film.
“As with all Loach’s issue-led film-making - I, Daniel Blake’s condemnation of austerity; Sorry We Missed You’s attack on the gig economy - there is a clear, black-and-white moral framework. But there is also a plea for open-hearted compassion, even for bilious racists. The final message of hope is resolutely upbeat and desperately needed.” - Wendy Ide, The Guardian
Director: Ken Loach / Featuring: Dave Turner, Ebla Mari, Claire Rodgerson / UK, France / English, Arabic / 113 minutes / Rating: 14A
Content advisory: depictions of racism; violence; coarse language
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmOR53QDd98
The Monday Cinema series is part of the Toronto International Film Festival Film Circuit and is presented by Trail and District Arts Council at The Royal Theatre, 1597 Bay Avenue, Trail. Film begins at 4:00 pm.
Tickets $13 at tickets.trail-arts.com or call the Box Office at 250-368-9669 Monday to Friday from 12-4 pm.
Only 143 tickets are available for this screening. If tickets are available, they will go on sale at the venue when the doors open 30 minutes before the screening.
Films in the Monday Cinema series this Fall
Thelma: October 7: After losing $10,000 to a phone scam, 93-year- old Thelma Post embarks on a quest to get her money back. A clever, hilarious spin on the action film genre, as Thelma becomes an unlikely action hero in search of her money.
No film Oct. 14.
Ghostlight: October 21: When a melancholic middle-aged construction worker finds himself drifting from his wife and daughter after his son’s suicide, he discovers community and purpose in a local theatre’s production of Romeo and Juliet.
Food Inc. 2: October 28: An engaging sequel to the 2008 Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning documentary, looking at workers’ rights, food sustainability, and innovative farming technologies, showing how current systems have tightened their stronghold on food production and our futures.
The Old Oak - November 4: Ken Loach’s final feature takes place in and around a pub in a northern English village. When a group of Syrian refugees move into the floundering village, local residents, fueled by prejudice, take out their anger and resentment on the community’s newest inhabitants.
No film Nov. 11.
The Great Escaper - November 18: Bernie, a veteran who served in the Second World War, hopes to attend the 70th anniversary of D-Day, but the tours are all booked up. Encouraged by his wife Rene, he decides to make his own way from England to France.
Evil Does Not Exist (foreign language) - November 25: Writer-director Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s much anticipated follow-up to the Oscar-winning Drive My Car traces the sensitive dispute between residents of a serene rural village and the city-based talent agency whose proposed plans for a luxury camping site threaten their way of life.
Sing, Sing (TBC) - December 2: Based on the real-life arts rehabilitation programme founded at Sing Sing Correctional Facility, the film follows a troupe of incarcerated actors who work on plays as part of a workshop at the prison. When a new member joins, the group’s dynamic shifts as the men unpack the pain of their experience while undergoing the joy and escape of creativity.
Café Daughter - December 9: Based on the Kenneth T. Williams' play of the same name and inspired by true events, Café Daughter is a coming-of-age story about a young Chinese-Cree girl in Saskatchewan who begins to embrace her Cree identity after a family tragedy.