‘Comrade’ Ken Loach, the angry old man of British cinema, gets a standing ovation for ‘The Old Oak’ — a film about inclusion that may very well be his swan song — at the International Film Festival of Kerala
When British filmmaker Ken Loach’s The Old Oak was screened at the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) in the crowded Nishagandhi open-air auditorium, it was greeted with a standing ovation. As the final sequence, featuring a march by workers carrying the banner emblazoned with ‘strength, solidarity and resistance’, played on the screen, the audience rose to their feet — emotionally charged — falling just short of engaging in chanting the slogan, “Long live workers’ unity.”
The Old Oak addresses the challenges faced by refugees. Set in 2016, the story revolves around TJ Ballantyne (Dave Turner), the owner of a pub in a declining former mining village in North-East England. TJ forms a connection with Yara (Ebla Mari), a young Syrian woman; a community of Syrian refugees has been relocated to the region. Together, TJ and Yara strive to bring together their distinct communities, navigating through xenophobia from the locals and the resulting clash of cultures. “It was quintessential comrade Ken Loach. I really felt like standing up and raising the slogans, ‘Long live class unity and workers unity,” said Hari Narayanan, Assistant professor of NSS College, Ottapalam, and a film buff.
The weight of their lives
The Old Oak reminds Loach’s fellow ‘comrades’ about the politics of inclusion in a world replete with divisions along lines of class and identity. The narrative arc, which links Syria to an impoverished village in Northern England, represents an extension of his left-wing ideology. In what Loach (87) claims to be his final film, the chronicler of the United Kingdom’s miners’ strike of the 1980s connects the trade unionism of that era to the current-day refugee crisis, making a spectacular statement through his political filmmaking.
Photo credit: Joji A J / IFFK
Kenneth Charles Loach is as familiar to the Indian audience as iconic filmmakers like Satyajit Ray or Mrinal Sen. His films — from Kes (1970) to I, Daniel Blake (2016) and Sorry We Missed You (2019) — have been embraced with as much enthusiasm as classics like Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road, 1955), Apur Sansar (The World of Apu, 1959), or Mrugaya (The Hunt, 1989). Particularly in states like Kolkata and Kerala, Loach has enjoyed a substantial fan following throughout his career. It’s no surprise that his Indian contemporary, Adoor Gopalakrishnan (82), was present in the front row for the screenings.
“The Old Oak is centred on one of the bleakest periods in human history, and portrays the plight of those who become its victims. The seasoned director, who has witnessed challenging times, approaches the current situation with a sense of optimism. He tells the stories of people arriving in England, carrying the weight of their lives from Syria, and of another group defeated by the system on the opposing side. While many fail to see any glimmer of hope in this scenario, the director, guided by his politics, stays positive where others do not. His ability to find hope in the face of adversity speaks volumes about him, both as a person and a filmmaker,” said Sreejith Divakaran, a journalist and Malayalam script writer.
An informal trilogy
References from Loach’s 1984 documentary, Whose Side Are You On?, on the repercussions of the infamous miner’s strike, such as the concept of communal dining and the principle of ideological solidarity over charity, serve as a foundation in The Old Oak. These elements act as a steadfast anchor, allowing Loach to further extend his solidarity. According to Loach, the fundamental essence of a trade union lies in empowering individuals who, on their own, lack power. The advantage of organising through a union is that it provides collective strength, allowing people to wield agency together. The distinctive power of unions becomes evident in their ability to halt production, thereby disrupting the entire profit-driven production system. While community organisations carry some weight, unions possess a unique force. “It is crucial, however, that unions are not led to collude with employers but instead guided to instigate fundamental changes,” Loach said in an interview at the Locarno Film Festival.
Loach holds the distinction of being the only director globally to secure the Palme d’Or three times. Even Francis Ford Coppola, along with seven others, has achieved the feat twice. He won this in 2006 with the historical Irish drama The Wind That Shakes the Barley. He followed it up with a second win in 2016 for I, Daniel Blake, a scathing examination of Britain’s healthcare crisis. Subsequently, he claimed the Palme d’Or for Sorry, We Missed You, a critical exploration of the harsh realities of the gig economy. Similar to the latter two films, The Old Oak is situated in the North East of England, and forms an informal trilogy with a slightly more upbeat tone.
Over nearly six decades, Loach, a staunch leftist who refused to accept the Order of the British Empire, has imparted hope to us all by steadfastly standing with individuals, collectives, and communities who have borne the brunt of the callous policies of modern capitalism, including austerity measures in recent years. It was no wonder then that his potential swan song received a standing ovation from cineastes at the IFFK.
