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THE OLD OAK, BY KEN LOACH
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A northern pub landlord confronts locals' hostility towards Syrian refugees in Loach's latest - and possibly last - piece of politically trenchant cinema.
A decade or so ago, the rumour was that Ken Loach was getting ready to quit. Then began a new parade of Conservative prime ministers in this country, each shiftier and more mediocre than the last; Loach decided he had more to say and do after all. What followed was a blaze of energy, anger, and productivity culminating in a remarkable late surge - in fact, a trilogy, of which this might come to be seen as the final episode. Working with his regular collaborator, the screenwriter Paul Laverty, Loach has been taking on issues and stories that you don't see on the TV news or on glitzy streaming services and showed that film-makers could actually intervene in the real world. Loach got questions about poverty and austerity asked in parliament; he moved the dial...
BY Peter Bradshaw