I, Daniel Blake

Name: I, Daniel Blake
Genre: Drama
Released: December 23, 2016
Duration: 100 min
Rating: 78
Cast: Briana Shann, Dave Johns, Dylan McKiernan, Hayley Squires, Sharon Percy

2016

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Generally favorable reviews based on 32 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 94 Ratings

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7.9	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 94 Ratings

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I, Daniel Blake

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Movie Details & Credits

Sundance Selects | Release Date: December 23, 2016 | Not Rated

Starring: Briana Shann, Dave Johns, Dylan McKiernan, Hayley Squires, Sharon Percy

Summary: Winner of the Palme d’Or at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, the latest from legendary director Ken Loach is a gripping, human tale about the impact one man can make. Gruff but goodhearted, Daniel Blake (Dave Johns) is a man out of time: a widowed woodworker who’s never owned a computer, he lives according to his own common sense moral code.Winner of the Palme d’Or at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, the latest from legendary director Ken Loach is a gripping, human tale about the impact one man can make. Gruff but goodhearted, Daniel Blake (Dave Johns) is a man out of time: a widowed woodworker who’s never owned a computer, he lives according to his own common sense moral code. But after a heart attack leaves him unable to work and the state welfare system fails him, the stubbornly self-reliant Daniel must stand up and fight for his dignity, leading a one-man crusade for compassion that will transform the lives of a struggling single mother (Hayley Squires) and her two children. [IFC Films]… Expand

Director: Ken Loach

Genre(s): Drama

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 100 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Blake Goble

May 31, 2017

This is a kitchen-sink hymn for the indomitable spirit of the common man. Read full review

Luke Hearfield

Jan 5, 2017

I, Daniel Blake is a dignified film containing moments of hilarity and genuine heartbreak. It's a movie dripping with social relevance and shines a light on the red tape bureaucracy that cripples those that are in most need of help. Read full review

Peter Travers

Jan 6, 2017

I, Daniel Blake, a new Loach landmark which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival last year, sums up everything that has kept he muckraking motor running for decades. Read full review

Empire Andrew Lowry

Oct 17, 2016

Loach scans the contemporary landscape, and instead of a firebrand approach of stereotype, delivers a film of immense sadness. Someone should project this on the walls of the Department for Work and Pensions. Read full review

Michael Upchurch

Jul 10, 2017

Whichever side you come down on, Johns’ and Squires’ low-key performances are impressive (Johns won Best Actor at this year’s Seattle International Film Festival), and the technological/red-tape hurdles their characters face feel stingingly accurate. Read full review

The Playlist Nikola Grozdanovic

May 21, 2016

The biggest lesson to take away from I, Daniel Blake is how a movie doesn’t have to be psychologically complex or cinematically dazzling to dig beyond its surface. It’s rudimentary in terms of technique, but how the film generates its power is through the themes of humanity and kindness at its center. Read full review

Sam C. Mac

Sep 28, 2016

It's pock-marked by the conservative dramatic conventions and broad political gestures that have marred much of Ken Loach's recent output. Read full review

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User Reviews

IAB

Jan 13, 2017

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This film is so real and true to life it's scary. I have been employed since leaving school in a highly responsible job. I have twice been through this. I have had two private consultants and a doctor tell me I was unfit for work.I filled in the ESA for and those questions are real . I went for a ATOS assessment. I got 0 points the assessor even lied about what was said and done in the assessment. On both occasions, my wife was told not to speak or have an input. I have could rant all day, it is crazy the way we are treated and this needs looking at as inhuman. I was even told I looked alright when I walked in the room. This is how stupid supposedly intelligent people make decisions to victimise the sick, and disabled. It's like a Nazi regim stopping people from getting support and watching them suffer.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

alejandro970

Nov 26, 2017

From Ken Loach, another typical portrait of mid- class british people, showing the story of a modern Don Quijote and this one-man war against the insensitive bureaucracy. The final act deserves a long, loud applause. For watch while hum Working Class Hero by John Lennon.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Spinetinglers

Feb 13, 2017

‘A heart-wrenching polemic of state-led bureaucracy in Britain, executed masterfully by the country’s finest socially aware director of a generation.’

Having been decorated with arguably the most prestigious artistic award in film, the Palm d’Or in May this year, ‘I, Daniel Blake’ is an‘A heart-wrenching polemic of state-led bureaucracy in Britain, executed masterfully by the country’s finest socially aware director of a generation.’

Having been decorated with arguably the most prestigious artistic award in film, the Palm d’Or in May this year, ‘I, Daniel Blake’ is an immensely powerful representation of the struggle between humane compassion and determination against the constant, and highly unacceptable oppressiveness of the current welfare state. It is a battle-cry for common decency that yearns for open ears and absorbent hearts, lifting you by the collar and catapulting you into Loach’s formidable neorealist world of unjust societal issues.

The world in which we are immersed in is portrayed through the life of Daniel Blake, a ruthlessly determined and proud carpenter from the industrial and grey skied north-east city of Newcastle, who due to a heart condition has been forced to leave work and apply for Employment and Support Allowance. Having been rejected by the robotic hierarchy of ‘officials’ in the Jobseekers Allowance offices, we are transported with Daniel (stand-up comedian Dave Johns) on a journey of degradation that makes you both question the government’s understanding of welfare and have faith in humanity all at once.

The crucially succinct narrative, written by Loach’s long term collaborator Paul Laverty, is incredibly effective and acts as a main indicator between the everyday man and the overarching shadow of the state. The monotone ramblings of the office worker in the speech orientated opening scene when asking Daniel to perform simple tasks such as raising his arm, paralleled against the at first jovial disbelief of Blake, set the tone for the rest of the film. It is the nameless ‘health professional’ who triumphs over Daniel’s confusion and inability, deeming him unfit to work and instigating the beginning of the end. Daniel’s life is paired alongside that of Katie’s (played by rising star Hayley Squires), a single mum of two who has travelled from the capital of soaring house prices and living costs to Newcastle with her two children Daisy and Dylan. Our understanding of Katie’s situation is demonstrated in her own struggle against the cold-blooded resistance of Sheila, the steely-eyed stone-faced office worker, who rejects any form of empathy towards the pale-skinned and harrowed Londoner. Daniel’s disbelief at witnessing the dehumanisation of such a vulnerable member of society sparks a relationship that although at first unlikely, is bonded by the need for common good and compassion in such a bleak situation.

It is the intangible ambition of both Daniel and Katie respectively that makes this film so incredibly powerful. Or perhaps it is the fact their hopes and aspirations are so brutally rejected that does it instead. Katie talks of rebuilding the lives of her and her children, ‘making this house a home’ if it’s the last thing she does and attending Open University to give her the best chance of escaping from poverty in the world’s fifth wealthiest country. Daniel’s determination is portrayed through his acts of kindness, for example, by crafting a hanging fish ornament identical to the one in his own home, for Katie’s daughter Daisy. It is only Daniel’s inability to overcome technological computerised form-filling techniques that counteract against his determination and ambition. For Katie, a simple broken tile that falls upon cleaning it speaks volumes of her own shattered personality. They are aspirational, hard-working individuals seeking a fair crack of the government’s relentless encroaching whip.

And in no scene does this whip crack harder than when young Katie is reduced to ripping off the lid from a tin of baked beans as she finally hits rock bottom in the food bank. I don’t think I’ve ever been moved so bluntly by a scene in any film before. The cinematography is impeccable, as we see a wide-angled shot of the packed shelves that raise above Katie, while she devours the pathetic tin of food. This scene, depicting a simple action that many of us take for granted every day rises above any politicised narrative and is simply about human survival rather than agenda. Left, right, centre. We’re all human.

This film is so intrinsic and beautifully made that I could dissect every scene and take something away from it. There is simply no filler and the performances from both Johns and Squire are so subtly and movingly executed that it could have passed a true documentary. Every scene, every word, every whisper, every grunt, every broken Geordie and London accent needs listened to. The words leave the mouths and enter your chest before your ears with an emotional punch like no other.

There’s a bit of Daniel and Katie in all of us, no matter who you are or where you’re from. We just hope that we aren’t the unlucky ones.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

LeZee

Apr 14, 2017

A reminder that the society is made up of all kinds of people and some of them need gentle assistance.

There was an Oscar buzz for this. Many film experts thought it would sail through, but that did not happen. Now I saw it and I think it should have made into. If the priests' dirty secretsA reminder that the society is made up of all kinds of people and some of them need gentle assistance.

There was an Oscar buzz for this. Many film experts thought it would sail through, but that did not happen. Now I saw it and I think it should have made into. If the priests' dirty secrets were recognised to condemn on such a big platform, then this film deserves as well. Because it reveals the cruelty against the economically weaker families and computer illiterate old men.

It is only this much short to be called a documentary film. I mean it was very realistic with cinematic dialogues, otherwise a documentary. This is a message film, highlights what's wrong with our system and who are all suffering from it. The actors were great and the 80 years- old director had done a magnificent job. You could watch as many films you want, but if you fail to watch a film like this often, there no meaning getting into film watching business.

The story follows a 60 year old widower whose name mentioned in the title. As he is recovering from heart attack and as advise given by his doctor, now he's out of the job and support allowance. Whenever he approaches the officials to look his issue, they always come up with different reasons to send him back disappointing. Especially not being into the computers, he struggles to fill forms on the internet platform.

He's very patience and following everything they have told him to do. One day he comes to aid to a single mother with two kids who recently moved to the city from London, when she is too struggling in the employment agency to get a job. So their relationship grows as they lend hands to one another in tough times. Following, how they recover from the issues they are facing is what the film to cover in the remaining parts.

"Listen, you know, you give me a plot of land, I can build you a house. But I've never been anywhere near a computer."

I liked this the film, but I think it was too realistic for my kind of taste. Because I like emotional parts and in this film those parts were highly effective, but not sentimentally striking way. Maybe you can say, less music with more dramatisation changed the storytelling style. Though the focus given on economically lower class and their way of life, not intentionally, but lack of support in society, all these were well detailed. I have always supported films that point outs flaws in basic establishment in society.

Almost all the major struggling juncture one goes through in the employment agency, particularly if the person was old is uncovered. Like the telephone calls responding to the recorded message, online applications, as well as meeting them in person. What we're facing right now in the world is or to know is, not everybody is a computer literate. It'll be in the future, but not now. They are not getting proper help, particularly agency treating them like the illegal immigrants.

In addition the film gets more interesting when a single mother was introduced. On the other side, different issues faced by poverty ridden small family, particularly her desperate attempt to fulfill the basic needs of her children is heartbreaking. This is not just the English problem, but everywhere else in the world. It had won several awards, particularly one BAFTA award. A good film for everyone, only if you understand the notion of the film or else will be a boring film.

While I was watching it, I thought it was a regular kind drama, so I kept expecting that things would turn this and that way. For almost the entire film, but it's only in the final stage something it came up with to surprise me. So my advice is keep low expectation and be patience. More importantly accept what it reveals than what you want from it. If you fail on that, then its not your film and to know that the only way is to watch it.

7½/10… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

TrevorsView

Jun 8, 2017

An unemployed man converses with an employed woman, only their voices fill up the black screen. One end clearly misunderstands the needs of her client, just like the business-minded telephone operators we know all too well. The man being berated is named Daniel Blake, and these types ofAn unemployed man converses with an employed woman, only their voices fill up the black screen. One end clearly misunderstands the needs of her client, just like the business-minded telephone operators we know all too well. The man being berated is named Daniel Blake, and these types of meetings occur daily for him. Too long now he has sought after regular employment, yet his poor health legally prohibits him from that end goal.

We all know the government’s tendency to mistreat whomever struggles to attain work, a reality amplified through a megaphone by the veteran British director Ken Loach in his weepy drama, I, Daniel Blake. The UK already widely respects Loach, but for those in the US, his work deserves intense study. Every quiet image he crafts pleases the analytical eye, especially his many gorgeous compositions of Daniel walking hands in pockets through the streets. Throughout the somewhat short runtime, Loach makes you lose track of how many minutes pass by as the events tie into a complete account of a man who laughed at defeat in the face.

In the first half, Daniel Blake’s search offers some nice chuckles structured amongst agitation with authorities who hold back their listening ears. By the second half, Daniel’s desperation handcuffs you to his ankles as he runs in circles. After surviving jingle after jingle of incompetent phone operators, Daniel’s desperation leaves him furious at everyone, including a random passerby whose dog takes a dump in front of his home. Then after a chance meeting in the unemployment office, the mood starts to change. He meets a young single mother named Katie whom the specialists bully around worse than him, so Daniel channels his frustration into compassion as he offers help in her embarrassment of a home. Daniel soon lightens the mood by teaching her son and daughter how to stay warm with bubble wrap and flower pots. Now neither one of them have to individually obtain financial stability alone.

Though despite the temporary positivity, things still go from worse to unbearable. The character study rings true to how job services work: Daniel learns how to use a computer, and Katie suffers a mental breakdown at a food bank. The absence of financial income gradually destroys each of their complexions; Daniel seems grow older as the film goes on; it causes you to think, “Wow, I have been there before. I wish I could help somehow.”

At least Daniel Blake can offer one gift outside the workforce with his homemade wooden fish mobile, which he uses to inspire the children’s self-worth. Yet woodcarving does not fulfill the children’s miserable predicament; their tiny home of peeled wood and tile pales against the cold steel of the employment service offices. It turns you desperate as the well-fed authorities stroke their own egos.

In fact, Ken Loach presses a little too much hate toward authority by beautifying unlawful rebellion from the poor. A subplot about Daniel’s Black neighbor selling counterfeit shoes contributes little to the plot, besides throwing in a last resort to gaining profit that never receives a rightful punishment. These shoes were acquired by a liaison from China, which in turn worsens the reputation of the already disrespected country. The same goes to anyone above the lower class: an excessively negative shadow casts over their poor productivity; a fair analysis finds no balance between both sides of the issue.

On the other hand, Loach’s piece of well-researched propaganda might very well be the wake-up call the Jobseekers Allowance needs to see our perspective of their industry. Too few jobs exist for nationwide fulfilment; the system must change.

Landing a job in our present era is unimaginably hard for anyone, whether the elderly, new parents, or young adults such as myself. The journey may feel endless, we may even want to practice alternate illegal solutions. Therefore, I, Daniel Blake deserves a watch by all who suffer. Although no one should expect a typical Hollywood ending, a satisfactory solution to life’s purpose as a citizen will remind you, the reader, of your power, no matter what the government expects you to think.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

AgentLvi

Jul 21, 2023

Decent movie. The story is so --so, scoring is great, visual is decent, and the voice is also great

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Mauro_Lanari

Dec 21, 2021

(Mauro Lanari)
1) Venturing into Kafkaesque territories, Loach loses incisiveness. The cogs of the bureaucracy do not preferentially crush the poor, they also oppress any other ordinary citizen. 2) There is a serious script hole that further weakens the film: the cardiopathic protagonist no(Mauro Lanari)
1) Venturing into Kafkaesque territories, Loach loses incisiveness. The cogs of the bureaucracy do not preferentially crush the poor, they also oppress any other ordinary citizen. 2) There is a serious script hole that further weakens the film: the cardiopathic protagonist no longer undergoes medical checkups, so it is impossible to attribute his lethal heart attack to a precise and unequivocal cause. 3) It is unsettling to see in a work by Loach the needy who, to a mutual, supportive and cooperative help, prefer self-isolation out of proud respect for their own dignity. Is unity no longer strength?… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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