With ten hours to go in 2023, we finally saw a film to inspire us.

Other than The Sound of Freedom, it’s been a lean year for quality films. Perhaps the writer’s strike has something to do with it, but I found Napoleon and Oppenheimer ostentatious and as a Martin Scorsese adorer, I found Killers of the Flower Moon hugely disappointing.

Enter legendary British director Ken Loach and his most recent film The Old Oak. At 87 years of age this is his twenty eighth motion picture.

Funnily enough, every film we have been to at the beautiful Regent Theatre in Ballarat so far, there’s barely been anyone in attendance. Not so today. The room was packed with seniors which tells me either there is a strong market for independent films in Ballarat, or they all had free passes. I hope it’s the former.

If you’re not familiar with Loach films they typically consist of very simple plots and the main themes are generally poverty in the UK and the social issues surrounding them.

I can honestly say his stories and film making style, which are not dissimilar to Mike Leigh, can be so compelling that I’m always left mouth agape from beginning to end.

The Old Oak is no different. Even after two hours I was hoping there was another twenty minutes left.

Loach never uses big name stars. The three or four trained actors he uses may have a little TV experience or small parts in other films but what makes Loach so unique is that he uses everyday citizens from his locations.

The result is quite extraordinary. Half the time you could be mistaken for watching a documentary such is the reality and authenticity of the acting.

The Old Oak is very much a Loach film, set in an impoverished old mining village in England’s North East and features powerful themes around racism, unemployment and compassion.

When a group of Syrian refugees arrive in the town that is stricken with a bevy of social issues, a kind publican tries to navigate his way through the challenge of helping the refugees whilst keeping the peace with his locals. The following is a trailer.

One thing that is consistent within Loach and Mike Leigh films is the avoidance of cliché.

There are always moments where bad things happen and in a Hollywood film you would predictably expect some form of revenge  to occur. It never happens with these guys but that’s real life isn’t it?

The Old Oak is another gem from a true master of film making. Apparently this may be his last film. I certainly hope not.