The Old Oak

The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes The Old Oak pub stands nearly empty in a decimated former mining village in County Durham. TJ Ballantyne tends bar to a handful of regulars in a community hollowed out by economic decline. Boarded-up shops and abandoned streets establish a world already beaten down before our story begins.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.

The inciting incident occurs at 13 minutes when Buses arrive carrying Syrian refugee families. The villagers watch from windows and doorways, their faces hardening. Shouts and hostility erupt immediately. Yara, a young Syrian woman with a camera, steps off the bus into a wall of resentment. The fragile peace of TJ's declining world shatters.. At 11% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.

The First Threshold at 27 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This shows the protagonist's commitment to TJ makes a choice: he approaches Yara and offers a small kindness—perhaps allowing her to charge her phone, or offering water. It's a simple gesture but irreversible. By crossing the divide his neighbors have erected, TJ commits to a path that will cost him everything. He enters Act 2 by choosing humanity over tribalism., moving from reaction to action.

At 56 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. The analysis reveals that this crucial beat TJ makes a public commitment: he opens The Old Oak pub to the refugees, offering it as a community space for shared meals. It's a false victory—a beautiful moment of unity as locals and refugees break bread together. For one night, it seems possible that solidarity might prevail. But the stakes have just escalated dramatically. TJ has declared which side he's on., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.

The Collapse moment at 84 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Violence erupts. The pub is attacked—perhaps firebombed or brutally vandalized—destroying TJ's livelihood and the fragile sanctuary he'd created. Or a refugee is seriously hurt, possibly killed. The "whiff of death" is literal: TJ's dream of unity dies, or something worse. He's lost everything—his business, his community standing, possibly hope itself., reveals the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.

The Second Threshold at 90 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 79% of the runtime. A moment of clarity or synthesis: perhaps Yara shows TJ photographs she's taken of the village—images that capture both the pain and the humanity of everyone, refugee and local alike. Or the community itself fractures completely, forcing those who believe in solidarity to make a final stand. TJ realizes that bearing witness, maintaining dignity in defeat, is itself a victory. He synthesizes his working-class values with his newfound understanding., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.