| I, Daniel Blake | |
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 British release poster | |
| Directed by | Ken Loach |
| Written by | Paul Laverty |
| Produced by | Rebecca O'Brien |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Robbie Ryan |
| Edited by | Jonathan Morris |
| Music by | George Fenton |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 100 minutes[1] |
| Country |
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| Language | English |
| Box office | $15.8 million[2] |
I, Daniel Blake is a 2016 Britishdrama film written byPaul Laverty and directed byKen Loach. The film starsDave Johns as Daniel Blake, a middle-aged man who is deniedEmployment and Support Allowance despite being declared unfit to work by his doctor.Hayley Squires co-stars as Katie, a struggling single mother whom Daniel befriends.
I, Daniel Blake won thePalme d'Or at the2016 Cannes Film Festival, thePrix du public at the 2016Locarno International Film Festival,[3][4] and the 2017BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Film.[5]
Daniel Blake, a widowed 59-year-oldjoiner fromNewcastle, has had a heart attack. Though his doctor has not allowed him to return to work, he is deemed fit to do so after aWork Capability Assessment and is deniedEmployment and Support Allowance. Daniel is frustrated to learn that his doctor was not contacted about this decision and thus applies for an appeal, a process Daniel finds difficult because he must complete forms online and is not computer literate.
Daniel befriends Katie Morgan, a single mother, after she is sanctioned for arriving late to herJobcentre appointment. Katie and her children have just moved to Newcastle from ahomeless shelter inLondon, as there is no affordable accommodation in London. Daniel helps the family by repairing objects, teaching them how to heat rooms without electricity, and crafting wooden toys for the children.
During afood bank visit, Katie breaks down crying, having become overwhelmed by hunger due to feeding her children instead of herself. After she is caught shoplifting at a supermarket, a security guard secretly offers Katie work as aprostitute. Daniel surprises her at thebrothel where she goes to work and begs her to give up the job, but Katie tearfully insists she has no other way to feed her children.
As a condition for receivingJobseeker's Allowance, Daniel must keep looking for work. He refuses a job at a garden centre because his doctor will not allow him to work yet. When his work coach tells him he must work harder to find a job or be sanctioned, Daniel spraypaints "I, Daniel Blake, demand my appeal date before I starve" on the side of the building.
Daniel earns the support of bystanders, including other people claiming benefits, but is arrested and cautioned by the police. Daniel sells most of his belongings and becomes a recluse but is pulled out of his depression by Katie's daughter, Daisy, who brings him a homemade meal to repay Daniel for his kindness. On the day of Daniel's appeal, Katie accompanies him to the tribunal, where a welfare adviser tells Daniel that his case looks promising. Upon seeing the judge and doctor who will decide his fate, Daniel becomes anxious and excuses himself to use the toilet, where he suffers another heart attack and dies.
Later, Katie reads a eulogy at hispublic health funeral, including a speech he had intended to read at his appeal. The speech describes his feelings about how thewelfare system failed him, and states, "I am not a blip on a computer screen or a national insurance number, I am a man."
Principal photography began in October 2015 inNewcastle upon Tyne and the surrounding area.[6] The film was produced byRebecca O'Brien[7] for Sixteen Films,Why Not Productions andWild Bunch with the support of theBritish Film Institute andBBC Films.[8]
O'Brien initially approached Channel 4's film division for funding. After a delay, O'Brien said she was told by Channel 4 that funding was not available as "we're already covering the area because we're doingBenefits Street",[9] a programme that many saw as demonising people on state welfare.[10]
I, Daniel Blake used a variety of marketing strategies to make sure Ken Loach's points got across to his targeted audience and that the film reached a wider audience, including disruptive marketing, street displays and newspaper inclusions. Ken Loach worked with theTrinity Mirror through the use of the editorial column ofThe Mirror and each newspaper had the "I" changed to reflect the main font of the film.[11]
The Trinity Mirror also provided 10,000 free tickets to see the movie as announced in one of their newspapers[12] and used Daniel Blake as the masthead for its papers. TheHouse of Commons and other major buildings in London had projections of Daniel Blake's end speech placed onto the outside walls as part of its "Guerrilla Marketing Campaign".[13]
Ken Loach retweeted various tweets promoting the film and even started a hashtag#WeAreAllDanielBlake[14] which can mostly be found on the officialI, Daniel BlakeTwitter page.
I, Daniel Blake is Loach's biggest success at the UK box office.[15] On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 92%, based on 184 reviews, with an average rating of 8.01/10. The site's consensus reads: "I, Daniel Blake marks yet another well-told chapter in director Ken Loach's powerfully populist filmography."[16] OnMetacritic, the film has a score of 78 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews".[17]
Writing forThe Guardian,Mark Kermode gave the film five stars.[18]
In 2017, Dave Johns took a solo show to theEdinburgh Fringe:I, Filum Star chronicled how Johns's life had changed since the success of the film, and received critical acclaim, playing to sold out rooms throughout the run. In 2019, he toured a new show,From Byker to the BAFTAs, with 24 dates from August until November that year.[19]
A stand-up comedy show titledI, Tom Mayhew was performed at the Edinburgh Fringe in August 2019. The stand-up comedianTom Mayhew had previously been on benefits for over three years in "austerity Britain" and was inspired to write the show after watching the film.[20] The show was critically acclaimed, with it transferring to a sold-out run at the Soho Theatre in January 2020.[21]
Dave Johns wrote a stage version updated to the2021/2022 cost of living crisis, which was set to be premiered at theNorthern Stage, Newcastle upon Tyne in May 2023.[22] Following this sold-out run, it is touring throughout the rest of the year.[23][24]
TheConservative Party's then-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions,Iain Duncan Smith, said the film was unfair and criticised its portrayal ofJobcentre staff: "This idea that everybody is out to crunch you, I think it has really hurt Jobcentre staff who don't see themselves as that."[25] The producer,Rebecca O'Brien, responded that Duncan Smith "is living incloud cuckoo land".[26]
On the 27 October 2016 episode of theBBC topical debate programmeQuestion Time, which had Loach as a panellist, the Conservative Party's then-Business SecretaryGreg Clark described the film as "fictional" and said, "It's a difficult job administering a benefits system.Department for Work and Pensions staff have to make incredibly difficult decisions and I think they should have our support in making those decisions."
Loach responded by criticising the pressure that DWP staff are placed under: "We talked to hundreds of people who work at the DWP under your guidance and instructions, and they are told to sanction people. If they don't sanction them, they're in trouble." He later said, "When you're sanctioned your life is forced into chaos, and people are going to food banks. How can we live in a society where hunger is used as a weapon?"[27]
TheLabour Party's then-Leader,Jeremy Corbyn, appeared at the film's London premiere and praised the film on hisFacebook page.[28] DuringPrime Minister's Questions on 2 November 2016, Corbyn criticised the unfairness of the welfare system and advised then-Prime Minister,Theresa May, to watch the film.[29]
| List of awards and nominations | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref(s) |
| Australian Film Critics Association | 7 March 2017 | Best International Film (English Language) | I, Daniel Blake | Nominated | [30] |
| British Academy Film Awards | 12 February 2017 | Best Film | Rebecca O'Brien | Nominated | [31] |
| Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Hayley Squires | Nominated | |||
| Best Direction | Ken Loach | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Screenplay | Paul Laverty | Nominated | |||
| Best British Film | Paul Laverty, Ken Loach and Rebecca O'Brien | Won | |||
| British Independent Film Awards | 4 December 2016 | Best British Independent Film | I, Daniel Blake | Nominated | [32] |
| Best Director | Ken Loach | Nominated | |||
| Best Actor | Dave Johns | Won | |||
| Best Actress | Hayley Squires | Nominated | |||
| Most Promising Newcomer | Dave Johns | Nominated | |||
| Hayley Squires | Won | ||||
| Best Screenplay | Paul Laverty | Nominated | |||
| Cannes Film Festival | 22 May 2016 | Palme d'Or | Ken Loach | Won | [33] |
| Palm DogManitarian Award | Ken Loach(showcasing a three-legged dog named Shea) | Won | |||
| César Awards | 24 February 2017 | Best Foreign Film | Ken Loach | Won | [34] |
| Denver Film Festival | 14 November 2016 | Special Jury Prize: Best Actress | Hayley Squires | Won | [35] |
| Empire Awards | 19 March 2017 | Best British Film | I, Daniel Blake | Won | [36] |
| Best Director | Ken Loach | Nominated | |||
| Best Male Newcomer | Dave Johns | Won | |||
| Best Female Newcomer | Hayley Squires | Nominated | |||
| European Film Awards | 10 December 2016 | Best Film | I, Daniel Blake | Nominated | [37] |
| Best Director | Ken Loach | Nominated | |||
| Best Actor | Dave Johns | Nominated | |||
| Best Screenwriter | Paul Laverty | Nominated | |||
| Evening Standard British Film Awards | 8 December 2016 | Best Film | I, Daniel Blake | Won | [38] |
| Best Actor | Dave Johns | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Hayley Squires | Won | |||
| Best Screenplay | Paul Laverty | Nominated | |||
| Most Powerful Scene Award | I, Daniel Blake | Won | |||
| Golden Tomato Awards | 12 January 2017 | Best British Movie 2016 | I, Daniel Blake | 3rd Place | [39] |
| Locarno International Film Festival | 13 August 2016 | Prix du public | Ken Loach | Won | [4] |
| London Film Critics' Circle | 22 January 2017 | Film of the Year | I, Daniel Blake | Nominated | [40] |
| British/Irish Film of the Year | I, Daniel Blake | Won | |||
| British/Irish Actor of the Year | Dave Johns | Nominated | |||
| British/Irish Actress of the Year | Hayley Squires | Nominated | |||
| Magritte Awards | 3 February 2018 | Best Foreign Film in Coproduction | I, Daniel Blake | Nominated | [41] |
| New York Film Critics Online | 11 December 2016 | Top 12 Films | I, Daniel Blake | Won | [42] |
| San Sebastián International Film Festival | 24 September 2016 | Audience Award: Best Film | Ken Loach | Won | [43] |
| Stockholm International Film Festival | 20 November 2016 | Audience Award: Best Film | Ken Loach | Won | [44] |
| Vancouver International Film Festival | 14 October 2016 | Most Popular International Feature | Ken Loach | Won | [45] |