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

In the film Daniel is offered a drink from the water cooler in the Jobcentre. Water coolers were removed from jobcentres in 2010 as part of the Tory cuts.

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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

Ann: Please listen to me, Dan. It's a huge decision to come off JSA without any other income coming in. Look, it... It could be weeks before your appeal comes through. You see, there's no time limit for a mandatory reconsideration. I've got a time limit. And you might not win. Please, just keep signing on. Get somebody to help you with the online job searches. Otherwise, you could lose everything. Please don't do this. I've seen it before. Good people, honest people, on the street.
Daniel: Thank you, Ann. ...

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Connections

Referenced in Antiques Roadshow: Abbey Pumping Station 2 (2018)

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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

A raw and honest look at ow the British system fails it's people

Ken Loach is a name I always recognise but then struggle to remember any of his work. I think, "ah good, it's by Ken Loach" and then "what's he done again? Oh Kes!" But Kes was 47 years ago and shamefully, I'm not familiar with any of his films since then. One conclusion from this realisation is that Loach has a strong reputation as a filmmaker and this was my long awaited reunion.

We follow Daniel Blake, a middle-aged carpenter who's taken a few recent knocks, one of which is suffering a heart-attack and deemed not able to return to work. It's a position no one would want to be in, forced to sacrifice your own health or lose everything you have worked so hard for.

We witness the hurdles that seem purposely put there to hinder payments, speaking from personal experience I can relate to this situation to a degree. How are people such as Daniel Blake suppose to survive, or better still, have a good life they are suppose to be able to live.

It's a harsh reality on how parts of the British system fails it's people and proof that there's no real incentive to do things by the book. Having been in a similar situation myself, skirting the unemployment line getting advise from people who have no ambitious or understanding of what I wanted to do.

Taking this on a more personal level, I quit a stressful position last year in the hopes of pursuing my own dream of being an artist and writer. Having to sign agreement that I would spend a number of hours trying to find work and having to provide evidence of doing so each fortnight would grant me the universal credit that I never actually received. I actually had a good case worker, as everyplace of work has good people, but equally there are those that can't see beyond, much like what is portrayed in this story. Though, instead of supporting me in trying to be something I both enjoy and apparently good at, they attempted to find me similar stressful jobs that I left for my own sanity, wanting to place me back amongst the wolves.

Dave Johns is exceptional as Daniel Blake, emitting the boiling frustrations of the soul- destroying turn of events, right to the very end. Hayley Squires' Katie is short of brilliant too, displaying the tremendous pressure when faced with these kind of tribulations. Though, the acting from the rest of the supporting cast is less desirable, it's forgivable.

It's a raw, honest and emotional look at the suffering and poor way of life some unfortunate people have to contend with in Great Britain. It's compelling, invoking and upsetting, showing the great lengths and risks people go through in order to maintain their self dignity. It's certainly a film that boasts Loach's credibility.

Running Time: 8 The Cast: 7 Performance: 7 Direction: 7 Story: 8 Script: 8 Creativity: 8 Soundtrack: 6 Job Description: 10 The Extra Bonus Points: 10 for the difficult subject matter and perfect portrayal. Would I buy the Bluray?: yes

79% 8/10