A trenchant piece of social commentary, I, Daniel Blake could have been a one dimensional film filled with gloomy despair, but in the capable hands of director Ken Loach and first time actor and long time comedian Dave Johns, it is laced with deft, dry, sarcastic humour throughout – making it a relevant, multi-faceted dramedy.
Written by Paul Laverty (a regular collaborator with Loach), the modern day tale, which is set in Newcastle, England, follows a fifty-nine year old carpenter named Daniel Blake (Johns), who, as the film begins, is frustratingly dealing with a government employee over the phone. They have denied his claim for ‘employment and support allowance’ – despite the fact that he has had a debilitating heart attack and his doctors vehemently state that he is in no shape to return to work. A wonderful piece of sardonic humour, this opening scene finds the man having to put up with a plethora of unrelated questions that have nothing to do with his particular condition. Highlighting the lack of common sense or logic found in the modern day governmental system, it is somewhat akin to a man continuously banging his head around the rim of a toilet seat (it hurts, is irritating and, in the end, gets you absolutely nowhere).
Upon receiving his letter of rejection, he looks to appeal the ruling, but is not allowed to do so as he has yet to receive a phone call stating the same fact he already knows (though he was supposed to get the call well before the papers were delivered).
Learning that any direction he might take must make its way through a computer (as we are in the digital age), the technologically illiterate man is infuriated by the lack of direction and common decency. A perfect example can be found in this piece of dialogue:
Job Centre Manager: “There’s a special number if you’ve been diagnosed as dyslexic.
Daniel Blake: “Right, can you give us that `coz with computers, I’m dyslexic.
Job Centre Manager: “You’ll find it online sir.
It is a weird realm that he finds himself in, as he must apply for work at a job centre despite the fact he can’t accept one (it is the only way he can obtain some aid from the government). While there, he witnesses the poor treatment of a single mother by the employees of said office (they sanction her for being late for her appointment, denying her any money – the woman, new to the community, got lost on the way). Daniel stands up for her, logically asking the next man in line if he minds letting her jump ahead so that the mother of two children will be able to receive some financial support – the employees, having none of it, boot them all out.
Escorting the mother, Katie Morgan (Hayley Squires), home, they hit it off (in a friendship sort of way). Both struggling with obtaining governmental aid, they find comfort in each other. Daniel comes around often, becoming a handyman for the single parent family. Katie and her two children, Daisy and Dylan (Briana Shann and Dylan McKiernan), were living in a hostel for two years before being provided with the flat in Newcastle – only problem is it is nearly three hundred miles away from their home and family in London.
A godsend for all, Daniel becomes a role model for the children – while babysitting or visiting, he teaches them important skills (often while Katie struggles to find work). He is even able to get through to the mostly silent Dylan. For Daniel, they fill a void in his life – the man has been alone since the death of his wife.
Delving deeper into debt, both Daniel and the Morgan’s struggle to survive. Each have to stoop to new lows to find a way to live (Daniel sells off all of his furniture. . .). Eventually, Daniel decides to make a statement by defacing the wall of the government building he has frequented – without getting anywhere. On it, he writes: “I, Daniel Blake demand my appeal date before I starve. . . and change the shite music on the phones!”. The reaction he gets on the streets of Newcastle is priceless. Will Daniel finally get his chance to appeal and get the assistance he justly deserves? Will Katie be able to find a way to support her family?
Though there are many cold, unfriendly characters in the film, there are just as many good and kind people who warm our hearts. The connection between Daniel and the Morgan’s is obvious, yet smaller but equally as important roles pop up throughout the movie. Daniel’s next door neighbours, China (Kema Sikazwe) and Piper (Steven Richens), are, on the surface, two street level thugs. Dealing shoes on the black market, they seem like the prototypical stock character hoodlums. Though, as we soon learn, they truly care for their much older neighbour – helping him with anything he needs (including computer issues). When China tells Daniel ‘to just ask him if he needs anything’, we wholeheartedly believe him. Similarly, there is a woman who works at the job centre who takes time out of her day to aid Daniel and others, despite getting reprimanded time and time again by her superior. It is these small gestures that give us hope that there are still many kindly souls in the world.
There are also several hard-hitting moments. One sequence finds a starving Katie (she has been feeding her children but not herself), breaking down in a food bank after eating a can of beans with her hands. Emotionally complex, this is just one of many scenes that will pull at your heartstrings.
It is a scathing indictment of the modern welfare system and government programs in general, though, to me, it is less about that and more so highlights the lack of logic, reason and common sense that has seeped its way into society with the ever-growing dependence on technology (and, more specifically, computers). Whether in a predicament such as the one created above, or if you’ve simply been a student at a University (as well as countless other situations), we have slowly been whittled down, no longer human, now solely a number on a screen. Things are no longer simple, effective and fact oriented, but designed like a disjointed, incoherent game. We are provided with limited scenarios when something does go wrong, often placed in a lose/lose situation.
Despite sparking debate in its native UK, it has garnered praise worldwide. Winning the prestigious Palme d’Or (the highest honour of the Cannes Film Festival), the Outstanding British Film of the Year at the BAFTA’s, as well as a plethora of other awards, I, Daniel Blake is both socially relevant and a rich piece of film making. Featuring superlative, versatile performances from the cast, spot on direction from Loach, and a rich story that provides perfect material for all involved, I, Daniel Blake is most definitely worth a watch. So, see this heart-filled motion picture to learn if the writing really is on the wall.