I, Daniel Blake (2016)

After having suffered a heart-attack, a 59-year-old carpenter must fight the bureaucratic forces of the system in order to receive Employment and Support Allowance.

Directors:

Ken Loach, Laura Obiols

Writer:

Paul Laverty (screenplay)

Stars:

Dave Johns, Hayley Squires, Sharon Percy

Won 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 26 wins & 34 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dave Johns	...	Daniel Blake
Hayley Squires	...	Katie
Briana Shann	...	Daisy
Dylan McKiernan	...	Dylan (as Dylan Phillip McKiernan)
Kate Rutter	...	Ann
Sharon Percy	...	Sheila
Kema Sikazwe	...	China
Steven Richens	...	Piper
Amanda Payne	...	Employment Support Allowance Assessor
Chris Mcglade	...	At the Sawmill (as Chris McGlade)
Shaun Prendergast	...	At the Sawmill
Gavin Webster	...	At the Sawmill
Sammy T. Dobson	...	Specialist Nurse
Mickey Hutton	...	Neighbour with dog
Colin Coombs	...	Postman

Storyline

A 59 year old carpenter recovering from a heart attack befriends a single mother and her two kids as they navigate their way through the impersonal, Kafkaesque benefits system. With equal amounts of humor, warmth and despair, the journey is heartfelt and emotional until the end.

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Plot Keywords:

psychological violence | heart attack | single mother | arrested | compassion | 

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Taglines:

Intensely Moving and Utterly Heartbreaking!

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Page Official site

Country:

UK France Belgium

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 June 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

Yo, Daniel Blake

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$18,682, 2 June 2017, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$258,168, 14 July 2017

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sixteen Films, Why Not Productions, Wild Bunch

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director and writer's own commentary track to DVD issue is full of critique against current UK Government welfare state policy as depicted in the film: and they thank many of the approaches and dialogues to the Job Centre advisers as based on real ex workers there, although they could not be personally be credited (see credits sidebar) because, they state, they are legally forbidden to speak publicly about their work.

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Goofs

When Katie is sanctioned for turning up late for her appointment to sign on she says later to Daniel that she was hoping to get payment the following day. This is wrong the money would be paid three days after signing-on not the next day.

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Quotes

China: Dan, they'll f@ck you around, I'm warning you. Make it as miserable as possible. No accident. That's the plan. I know dozens who have just given up.
Daniel: Well, they've picked the wrong one if they think I'm gonna give up. I'm like a dog with a bone, me, son.

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Crazy Credits

A very special thanks to workers within the DWP [Department for Work and Pensions] and PCS [Public and Commercial Services] Union who provided us with invaluable information but who must remain anonymous. [Government edict that public employees in these departments cannot speak publicly about their work.]

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Connections

Featured in Projector: I, Daniel Blake (2017)

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Soundtracks

Sailing By
(1963)
Composed by Ronald Binge
Performed by The Alan Perry/William Gardner Orchestra as The Perry/Gardner Orchestra
Conducted by Ronald Binge
Licensed courtesy of Mozart Edition (Great Britain) Ltd.

User Reviews

The best film I have seen this year.

After seeing "I, Daniel Blake" there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Ken Loach isn't just the best director to have come out of Britain in the last 50 years but one of only a small handful of great directors still working today. Of course, his films are not merely 'entertainments'; he is the most unashamedly political director there is and "I, Daniel Blake" is his most unashamedly political film, certainly since "Cathy Come Home". It is also possibly his best.

Once again the writer is Paul Laverty who was worked with Loach numerous times in the past, (theirs is the among the greatest of all cinematic partnerships), and his superb script cuts to the bone. As someone who has sat on both sides of a Benefits Office counter I can honestly say that no-one strikes a false note here. Loach is famous for working with non-professionals or largely unknown actors, (Carol White, a fresh face when she made "Cathy Come Home", David Bradley in "Kes", Crissy Rock in "Ladybird Ladybird"), and "I, Daniel Blake" is no different.

The title character is played by stand-up comic Dave Johns and the young, single mother he befriends is Haley Squires. Add in an extraordinary cast of British character players and you have a film that oozes a documentary-like realism from every pore. Of course, at times it is virtually unwatchable. This is a film about victims and the appalling bureaucracy that sees them slip through the net. You could say it is a film about the failure of the Welfare State. Unlike "Cathy Come Home" however, I can't see it touching the hearts and minds of our present Tory Government which surely is shameful. Brexit, we have been told, is about taking back control but control of what; an appallingly defunct system where to care or show feeling is almost a sackable offence? The film was rightly applauded at the screening I attended and is the best I have seen this year.