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Memorable, crazy movie

Instant Favorite.

A different way of telling a story

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

The benefits system grinds you down. It can put you off claiming if you think you are only going to be out of work for a month or so, which is probably the intention of some people in government. So this is a worthy film to make, but the story here seems heavily exaggerated.. In the first half of the film every single misfortune, setback and inconvenience happens to Daniel, one after the other in a way that does not appear believe-able. He is portrayed solely as honest, warm and wholesome while the people who stand in his way are all mean, curt and heartless. Many of the characters seem artificially created or they talk in stitled dialogue to get a political message across rather than give an honest or credible account of being out of work.. The film and the plot really picks up as the relationship between Daniel and Kate develops - the last 15 minutes shows how good the film could have been.

I have put off watching this movie for ages as I just didn't think it would appeal to me. My close friends and brother have all being telling me to watch this film so here I am. This is powerful stuff and I mean POWERFUL STUFF. This is just so true to life. This is government BS gone nuts. This film is put together and devised by somebody who has clearly been through all this and has first hand knowledge of all the front line bureaucracy that is soul destroying. I have worked in the Employment service and have always worked as a civil servant. This film is perfect and sums up exactly how life runs. Simple story a carpenter has a heart attack and is told he can't work by his doctor but is then told he can work by the "health professional appointed by the govermnment". All the online computer stuff (some of which I struggle with and I know computers). The endless forms to fill in and endless waiting on the phone is just so true to life.The whole film is simply one normal bloke trying to get employment and going through a benefit system etc that is not designed to help or make life easy. I'm not going into all the details but the scene in the food bank just had me in tears. You need to watch this film. Absolute travesty that this film didn't win every oscar going. Terrific movie.

I tend to associate Ken Loach's cinema to a certain set of elements that are part of any society or any country in the world: sadness, hopelessness, desperation, people on the brink of giving up on life. Feelings or sensations that human beings have to deal with the best they can. And it's not always easy to keep up a balance between your personal life and work and try to keep this unwelcome visitor at bay. Sometimes, it looks like they'd take pride in being owners of an unquenchable desire to prey on your weaknesses, to show you that there's nothing in the world that's worth fighting for. And just as a peasant who skins a rabbit on a damp and frost winter morning, we are also feel unprotected without our armour.I might have overdone it with this metaphor but it goes a long way to show what to me is as clear as the blue blue sky. Ken Loach is at his peak when he talks about what he knows best. I, Daniel Blake, tells us the story of Daniel Blake, a joiner from Newcastle who has recently had a heart attack and has been forced to go into early retirement. His struggling too get the pension he deserves after 40 years of hard work moves my heart as it'd move any, even if they were made out of stone. His daily fight with bureaucracy, his dignity-intact throughout the film despite having had to put up a fight against the new digital world, one he doesn't understand.He's someone everybody can relate to since he takes it upon himself to keep being honest in the face of adversity. He's not alone is his nightmare, though. There's another character, a young mother, recently divorced, who can barely cope with being a mother of two touching children, let alone with being the family's only bread-winner.One would expect one of these two characters to pull own the other into the abyss but nothing further from the truth. they strive and fight to drag themselves out of their misery. Whether they succeed or not, I won't give away to the reader. let's just say there was a moment where I couldn't put up with it any longer and burst into tears; down my cheeks the rolled. Is there anything left out there worth fighting for?

Ken Loach (Kez '69) is a controversial filmmaker (yes he uses film) who, along with screenwriter Paul Laverty are no strangers to taking on the challenging everyday issues of real life. Their story follows the trials of 59 yr old carpenter Daniel Blake, as he attempts to enlist assistance from an impersonal welfare system. Daniel can build you a house but has no computer skills - this is where we see the foolishness of enforcing 'on-line' services before the generation who grew up without them have passed.Performances are good --kids included which is always a plus-- the inclusion of a now rarely played composition by Ronald Binge is a powerful insight to a passing era and emotionally strong. Documentary photographer Robbie Ryan adds realistic touches as this brave crew navigate complex social problems - that are both poignant and timely. How will an overloaded public system ever be fully capable of serving the multitude of desperate human situations - especially in the face of increasing immigration, that's mostly made up of people from countries that offer their nationals nothing! Something needs to be done and seriously. Well done by all concerned.