The Old Oak

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The Old Oak

Released Apr 5, 2024

1h 53m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

94 Reviews

77%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

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. There is growing anger, resentment, and a lack of hope among the residents, but the pub and its proprietor TJ are a fond presence to their customers. When a group of Syrian refugees move into the floundering village, a decisive rift fueled by prejudices develops between the community and its newest inhabitants. The formation of an unexpected friendship between TJ and a young Syrian woman named Yara opens up new possibilities for the divided village in this deeply moving drama about loss, fear, and the difficulty of finding hope. The release of The Old Oak reunites legendary British director Ken Loach with Zeitgeist Films and Kino Lorber following our 2020 release of his film Sorry We Missed You. Loach, who is 87 years old, has announced that The Old Oak will be his final film.

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Critics Consensus

Imbued with the fiercely humanistic spirit that has defined Ken Loach's filmography, The Old Oak serves as a fitting -- albeit somewhat sentimental -- finale to a remarkable career.

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Christina Newland

iNews.co.uk

Loach and his screenwriter Paul Lavery are sometimes painfully on-the-nose, borderline parodic, in their contrived kitchen sink sensibilities.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 18, 2024

Full Review

Ty Burr

Ty Burr's Watch List (Substack)

The final scene of “The Old Oak” reduced me, once again and for the final time, to tears.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jun 14, 2024

Full Review

Michael O'Sullivan

Washington Post

It is unmistakably a Loach film: taciturn yet forthright, examining life in the cracks of a fractured society with deep compassion, plain-spoken anger and, perhaps more so than in the previous two films, a shot of hope.

Rated: 3/4

May 3, 2024

Full Review

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Spirituality & Practice

Inspiring story in which a town of unemployed miners and a group of Syrian refugees discover how big is their we.

Rated: 5/5

Jan 9, 2025

Full Review

Clotilde Chinnici

Loud and Clear Reviews

Much like Bannatyne and the food initiative give hope to the town, The Old Oak is a beacon of hope in an otherwise cruel and vicious world where, as suggested by the movie, people have to choose between affording heating or food .

Rated: 5/5

Sep 15, 2024

Full Review

Diego Batlle

Otroscines.com

The welcome humanism of Loach but broached with clumsy and overused overtness. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 2.5/5

Sep 6, 2024

Full Review

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Deborah

Fabulous, tear-jerky, heart-warming

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/15/24

Full Review

Roy J

This is what the art of filmmaking is all about. To empathize with characters you've never encountered before. I hope Ken Loach doesn't retire because he's still got it!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/17/24

Full Review

andrea c

Altro spaccato sociale interessante e ben strutturato del regista che per eccellenza riesce a trattare questi temi con concretezza e senza illusioni. Ken Loach dirige un film che si basa fortemente sui dialoghi e che forse per questo motivo subisce leggermente l'abilità non eccelsa di alcuni attori che faticano ad esprimere con costanza i loro sentimenti. La trama è lineare ma comunque interessante e come sempre nei film del regista offre un finale agrodolce che rispecchia a pieno la realtà della vita. Sorprende invece sempre la capacità del regista di colpire il cuore senza pure l'utilizzo di immagini forti ma soltanto evocando i sentimenti più teneri e dolci con la visione di sequenze semplici come una macchina fotografica che si rompe o un uomo che immerge i piedi nell'acqua del mare.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/08/25

Full Review

John K

A childlike film about immigration, bag of shite, sorry Ken

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/09/25

Full Review

D M

Some films make you laugh, some entertain you, some warm your heart. Sometimes a film can change your viewpoint Superb stuff.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/22/24

Full Review

Michele D

Beautiful Film. Thank you forever Ken Loach. You're one of a kind. So appreciated.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/29/24

Full Review

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Ken Loach

Director

Dave Turner

TJ Ballantyne

Debbie Honeywood

Tania

Reuben Bainbridge

Actor

Rob Kirtley

Actor

Andy Dawson

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75%

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The Old Oak: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

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. There is growing anger, resentment, and a lack of hope among the residents, but the pub and its proprietor TJ are a fond presence to their customers. When a group of Syrian refugees move into the floundering village, a decisive rift fueled by prejudices develops between the community and its newest inhabitants. The formation of an unexpected friendship between TJ and a young Syrian woman named Yara opens up new possibilities for the divided village in this deeply moving drama about loss, fear, and the difficulty of finding hope. The release of The Old Oak reunites legendary British director Ken Loach with Zeitgeist Films and Kino Lorber following our 2020 release of his film Sorry We Missed You. Loach, who is 87 years old, has announced that The Old Oak will be his final film.

Director: Ken Loach
Producer: Rebecca O'Brien, Pascal Caucheteux
Screenwriter: Paul Laverty, Paul Laverty
Distributor: Zeitgeist Films
Production Co: BBC Film, Les Films du Fleuve, Sixteen Films, Why Not Productions, StudioCanal UK
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 5, 2024, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 4, 2024
Box Office (Gross USA): $229.7K
Runtime: 1h 53m

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