I, Daniel Blake

Dir: Ken Loach
2016

*****

Ken Loach announced his retirement in 2014 following the release of Jimmy's Hall, a film about Jimmy Gralton, leader of the Revolutionary Workers Group of the 1930s. He was 78. However, on the news that the Conservative Party had been re-elected into Government in 2015 and following their controversial 'Fit for Work' scheme that has since led to countless premature deaths and suicides, Loach declared he had another film in him, one that he felt was important to make. I, Daniel Blake is a very simplistic tale of how real people are effected by the 'Fit for Work' scheme, Britain's Employment and Support Allowance and the Support Allowance Work capability Assessment. Loach has used just a few of the many real stories he has collected from people in similar situations as an example of what people have to go through during tough times. For years, the British (mainly right-wing) media have pointed the blame for the country's financial failure at those that claim sickness and job seekers benefits, with I, Daniel Blake, Loach explores the truth of the situation, that many people who have worked all their lives and have paid their taxes, have been left without any of the benefits that they are entitled to. The Court of Human Rights have deemed the new scheme as unlawful, although the government announced they had said otherwise. The government attempted to hide the real number of those that have actually died as a result but even when it leaked, the media barely covered it. It is a stand against the bureaucracy and the cruelty that has been inflicted on the poor and hardworking by the rich and greedy. It really is that simple, it's an opinion often mocked but it is an age-old truth. I fear things have got worse and that people have become numb to other's suffering, as Loach has also said. Many have stated that I, Daniel Blake is the Cathy Come Home for the current generation and there is a lot of weight behind that. Cathy Come Home, a look at homelessness and the system, had quite the impact when it was released in 1966 and although certain aspects are different now, it is eerily similar. How sad and ridiculous is it then that Loach even had to make I, Daniel Blake, a whole half a century later. The film also tackles the issue of social housing. I've heard a lot of criticism from people who actually grew up in social housing, suggesting that beggars can't be choosers etc but, as we see in the film, people are being moved across the country to get homes they are entitled to, when years ago the waiting list was only a couple of days and it would be where you currently lived. The idea that everyone is on the take is absurd and immoral, turning our backs on each other is a product of a very sick society. The 1980s declared that 'Greed is good' but it's not, it's a sickness and it is time we worked on a cure. Comedian Dave Johns is a bit of perfect casting by Loach, his performances is direct, no nonsense and without manipulation. Hayley Squires is also fantastic, the scene whereby she refuses Daniel Blake's pity and kindness because it will weaken her is a very simple but astonishing piece of cinema. The film doesn't use emotional blackmail, it isn't deceitful or manipulative and certainly isn't sensationalist. That has never been Loach's style or approach. It's the sort of film that makes everyone angry, no matter what side of the political debate you sit on. Loach is now eighty years old, my concern is that there isn't a clear successor to his work, it is tragic that I believe there needs to be. I walked past at least seven homeless people on the walk between underground station and office this morning, this is a very real problem and bless Loach and crew for inserting it into the public's consciousness once more. The best and most important film of 2016.