29 Mar 2017
Director: Ken Loach
UK
2016
100 min
Daniel Blake is an older resident of Newcastle and, after suffering a heart attack, he can no longer do his job. However, a mobility test by the Department of Work and Pensions declares him fit for work and, while he waits for his appeal, Daniel can only claim Jobseekers Allowance. His inability to take any work offered means that his money is stopped and he begins to go hungry. Ken Loach, a social campaigner for most of his career, believes that the current criteria for claiming benefits in the UK are designed to frustrate and humiliate claimants to such an extent that they drop out of the system and stop pursuing their rights to support. His latest film explores the human consequences of welfare policies in terms of relationships and who people become through these policies.
Winner Palme d’Or Cannes 2016