The Old Oak by Ken Loach, winner of the Ecumenical Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, it’s like a ray of sunshine in a foggy sky. The adventures of a pub owner who sympathizes with a Syrian refugee and opens a canteen for the most deprived, whatever their origin, are heartwarming. “That’s the point of this film,” Ken Loach explains to 20 minutes. Show that individual initiatives can do a lot to improve society. »
A beautiful filial relationship develops between the young exiled photographer and the supportive widower and too bad if certain inhabitants of the small town in the north of England take umbrage with their outburst of generosity to the point of putting obstacles in their way. “This kind of behavior often happens when the precarious attack their peers out of desperation,” underlines Paul Laverty, screenwriter for Ken Loach since 1995.
A wind of hope
This film boosted by fraternity plunges the viewer into the heart of a population battered by poverty, one whose colors the 87-year-old filmmaker defends without losing an ounce of determination. “These women and men need to make themselves heard,” he insists. They also need to see themselves on screen, which means to them that their story is worth telling. » This is how we gradually discover how everyone puts their hands to work for the common good by bringing the best of their skills.
“Examples like theirs make me refuse to lose faith in the human species,” explains Ken Loach who offers very beautiful scenes such as the tribute of the community who came to support a courageous lady whose husband who remained in Syria has just died in prison. “It is not a question of making the public cry,” insists Paul Laverty, “but of celebrating the dignity of people who fight against adversity which can take many forms. » The demonstration which ends the film brings a slight but very present wind of hope to these very discreet heroes drying their tears as they pass by.
Irreplaceable Ken Loach
Ken Loach no longer really has the energy to embark on a new fiction. “My age is starting to show,” he says, “but I plan to continue fighting by other means, documentaries for example. » If it is common to claim that no one is irreplaceable, Ken Loach could well be an exception to the rule.