I, Daniel Blake (2016)

Review

100min

Genre:      Drama

Director:   Ken Loach

Cast:        Dave Johns, Hayley Squires, Sharon Percy…and more

Writer:     Paul Laverty

-Synopsis-

Ken Loach’s Palme d’Or winning drama is the story of two disparate working class Brits; one a middle-aged carpenter and the other a young single mom, brought together by hardship and their dependence on a bureaucratic state in this social class drama with plenty to say about the current state of the British welfare system, and the society it serves.

In a 50 year directorial career crafting British social realist films and television from his own socialist viewpoint, and being more celebrated in Europe than his home country;  at the tender age of 80 Ken Loach shows no signs of slowing down, bringing us his latest cry for social justice in modern day austerity Britain with a simple and some would say simplistic view of the current welfare system, in what is nonetheless a moving  and angering righteous indignation drama for the working classes.

Set in Newcastle in the northeast of England, far from the traditional London-centric view of urban Britain, ‘I, Daniel Blake’ stars Geordie comedian Dave Johns as the eponymous character; a middle-aged working-class widower recovering from a recent heart attack, told by doctors that he can’t return to work as a carpenter/joiner just yet, but declared fit to work and unable to claim financial support by the state system and its obtuse points-based assessments.

Stuck between a rock and a hard place and with no computer skills, marginalising him even further with most government systems now largely online-based, “Daniel” struggles along and by chance meets “Katie” (Hayley Squires); a young mother of two with her own issues with the system and struggling to put food on the table, together they struggle to deal with the hand that life has dealt them, while the infuriating realities of an increasingly rigid and unforgiving welfare system unravels around them.

Even if you consider ‘I, Daniel Blake’ a genuine cry out for social justice in a society where it’s becoming a rarity, there’s no getting around the fact that this is a highly politicised movie, and as such will prove divisive for audiences outside of those with left-leaning tendencies, whether it should be or not. And it raises plenty of questions about how you would create a truly fair and functional social welfare system for 65 million people (and counting), particularly with diminishing funds, but that would lead you to a never-ending debate about austerity, the complexities of national debt, taxation, and so on.

But this isn’t a complex film, and it never claims to have all the answers, nor does it look beyond these shores to the wider world and illuminate how good this bloated bureaucratic system is compared to most of the world. This just a simple story and an anguished cry on behalf of those in society who suffer the most, as politicians and the media pontificate on how to best run a country, while more and more people are pushed towards food banks and homelessness in one of the richest and most advanced societies on earth.

True to Loach’s ultra-realist ethos, the performances in  ‘I, Daniel Blake’ are naturalistic and all infused with nothing but empathy for their characters; Hayley Squires delivers a sympathetic turn in her characterisation of a young modern-day working-class single mother, with her adorable chidren brought to life by two novice young actors.

But the titular character is the main draw here with Dave Johns proving a revelation in his film debut; applying the down-to-earth Geordie humour UK audiences might be familiar with from his TV and stand-up comedy appearances, but adding a working-class nobility and pathos in his captivating portrayal of an honest but desperate man, let down by the state but never losing his self respect or sense of righteousness.

It would be easy to brand the film as an austerity protest and an angry rallying call from a naive socialist perspective, and to some extent it is just that, albeit in the form of a moving and relatable personal story; but moreover this is a call for humanity in our politics, something that’s been lacking on either side of the political spectrum. Perhaps even that is fanciful in an increasingly competitive and globalised capitalist society, but ‘I, Daniel Blake’ is at its best when reminding us all that behind every number, target and social statistic, there is a living, breathing and feeling human being.

The Bottom Line…

Ken Loach continues to rage against a dysfunctional state in a moving and captivating little regional human drama which stirs emotions against social injustice, despite its simplistic conceptions and a naive social viewpoint; ‘I, Daniel Blake’ might divide audiences along political lines but it hopefully appeals to your sense of humanity while crying out for a welfare system which reflects it, and the dream of a representative democracy which actually represents all of its people.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Kes (1969)

A troubled teenage outcast in 1960s struggling middle England, hopeless Yorkshire lad “Billy” struggles through life both at home and school, only to find a real bond with a Kestrel which he trains and befriends and who enriches his life, but his cloud’s silver lining is destined to disappear in this stark and poignant working-class drama from director Ken Loach.

Directed by  Ken Loach and starring David Bradley, Brian Glover and Freddie Fletcher among others.

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