The movie 'The Old Oak' is understated, but it is a film about the future

I was finally able to see the movie 'The Old Oak,' which I had missed, at Theater Seven in Juso. I suppose you could say it was a full-blown Ken Loach production.
(Actually, I'm not knowledgeable enough to talk about Ken Loach.)
The film is crafted within the director's perfected worldview, so you can watch it with peace of mind. The scene transitions are stubborn, too. lol
It's like listening to an old man tell a success story from the past, but the story is in the present progressive tense, and for Japan, it could also become a story about the near future.

Contains spoilers.

Given the setting of 'the only pub in a certain coal mining town,' you can predict the genre to some extent.
However, the story begins to unfold in a way we haven't seen before once 'the town begins to accept Syrian refugees.' For those who yearn for past prosperity, cherish their narrow community, and cannot open new doors themselves, the sudden influx of a different culture must be difficult to accept. This is a problem that could happen anywhere in the world, not just in a coal mining town.
It is also a story that is actually happening.

They cling to memories like tales of past heroism and find it difficult to accept new changes or cultures.

The pub owner tries to fix the 'K' on the 'The Old Oak' sign. But no one notices that even the oak wood, which should be sturdy, has become an unreliable presence here. That is not just the owner's problem.
The dining space where everyone once gathered and deepened their bonds is now just decaying, unable to adapt to change.
Community sounds nice, but it might actually be a group psychology of licking each other's wounds and offering comfort, while secretly fearing being outdone by someone else. Perhaps all they needed was a 'trigger' for change.
Perhaps this film was trying to show that everyone has the potential to change.

Weren't the 'losers,' the negative concept they hold, those who couldn't adapt to change and were left behind by the times? 'Loser' is a word that also appeared frequently in 'I, Daniel Blake'.

Although the settings are vastly different, there is much in common with 'I, Daniel Blake.' And the point where the protagonist begins to have doubts, and the point the film ultimately reaches, seemed to be pointing in the same direction. The age groups of the people involved with the protagonist are also set up in a somewhat similar way.

In the end, this film is also a variation of the setting of 'I, Daniel Blake,' and what the director wanted to convey might be that even those who have reached the second half of their lives, believing themselves to be 'losers,' can bring about change if they have the will to change and take action.

This film depicts how, by eating together regardless of nationality or religion, conversation is born and mutual understanding begins. Discrimination starts from a lack of understanding. To understand, you need to reach out. First, eat together. Isn't that what is needed more than anything else? This film makes you realize that.

Losers and dogs,
The way of life of losers and the protagonist,
I wanted to write about these too, but I ran out of time.
It was a deeper film than I thought.