El viejo roble

Una película de cine social menos dramática y más predecible que la anterior de Loach, Sorry We Missed You, pero aún humana y emocionalmente atractiva. El choque de la cultura de la aldea británica con los refugiados sirios. Loach también comprende el conservadurismo de los avecindados, que han pasado por lo suyo siendo de clase obrera. Y capta con empatía la cultura y el dolor interior de los inmigrantes, que de ninguna manera son peores o inferiores a los "domésticos". La historia de vida más fuerte, sin embargo, es la del personaje que une a ambas culturas, que lleva un bar local, al que no le falta explosividad local, comprensión o disposición para ayudar. La dirección de Loach es visualmente tradicionalmente simple, pero humanamente honesta, 100% enfocada en los personajes. [Cannes FF] (28.05.2023)

This will be hard. I'd have no problem recommending The Old Oak to anyone, but my cynical self prevents me from rating it better than slightly above average. Despite the fact that I agree with its basic idea, the problem is the tear-jerking. The film has a number of passages where I can't get past their naivety, and some of the major twists are also handled too haphazardly, such as the dog, saviour of the drowning. Everything then loses credibility from the point of view of the story, and it feels more like a melodrama with elements of a fairytale than today's world in the suburbs of Newcastle, Blackpool, Sunderland and generally all parts of Britain, where all sorts of things are spoken, but don’t expect too much English. The almost exemplarily authentic pub regulars in the film are a beautiful testament to this. (29.10.2023)

This film is proof that there is beauty in simplicity. When compared to the other films in the festival, The Old Oak probably delivers the most human story. No exaggerated plots, no WTF twists, no emotional wringing, no mindfucks, a popular tool nowadays where there is a lack of quality content. This is a story about ordinary people, about the clash of cultures, about the difficulties of fitting in, about embracing the unknown... The Old Oak is simple, minimalist and at the same time magnificent in the emotions it evokes. It's moving but perfectly balanced, it doesn't push the envelope... [Festival de Cannes 2023] (30.05.2023)