Synopsis
Daniel Blake, 59, has worked as a joiner most of his life in Newcastle. Now, after a heart attack and nearly falling from a scaffold, he needs help from the State for the first time in his life.
He crosses paths with a single mother Katie and her two young children, Daisy and Dylan. Katie’s only chance to escape a one-roomed homeless hostel in London has been to accept a flat in a city she doesn’t know some 300 miles away.
Daniel and Katie find themselves in no-man’s land caught on the barbed wire of welfare bureaucracy as played out against the rhetoric of ‘striver and skiver’ in modern day Britain.
Thoughts
As you might expect from a Ken Loach flick, this is a fairly grim “real life” portrayal of working class Britain – with a heavy political undertone.
But don’t let that put you off. This powerful and moving drama had me captivated from start to finish – riding the emotional rollercoaster and all the better for it. The incredible performances only helped to elevate the film further.
Rating
9/10
