Ken Loach’s The Old Oak – 2023 Cannes Critics’ Panel: Day 10

Will Ken Loach three-peat with what could be his last-ever feature? This is the question that Thierry Frémaux put forth and perhaps the best was indeed saved for last. The Kitchen Sink auteur has placed three Jury Prize-winning films in 90’s Hidden Agenda, 93’s Raining Stones and 2012’s The Angels’ Share along with Palme d’Or winning The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006) and I, Daniel Blake (2016). Of course, we can’t forget the Critics Week selected Kes. The Old Oak was the last of the twenty films in comp.

This sounds a bit familiar. A pub landlord in a previously thriving mining community struggles to hold onto his pub. Meanwhile, tensions rise in the town when Syrian refugees are placed in the empty houses in the community.

Current temp: The final film of the competition blasted to the top and slide directly into third place (tied) with an average score of 3.5 via fifteen of our critics. The badly planned schedule means that there were less press screenings for this film.

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