I, Daniel Blake

Once in a while, a most significant motion picture surfaces which is not entertaining and is not meant to be enjoyed, but its sole purpose is to stimulate audiences and spread awareness of socially inept systems which govern our lives.

This award-winning film is a raw, gritty and brutally honest depiction of the flawed social welfare system in England, a heart wrenching cry for help which will strike a nerve and make audiences want to stand up and scream.

The story surrounds Dan (Dave Johns) a carpenter in his 50’s who for the first time is deemed medically unfit for work owing to a heart condition and requires welfare assistance. He meets a single mother (Hayley Squires) with two children who is also caught up in the welfare bureaucracy.

Together they quickly learn that they are dealing with a robotic and merciless welfare system which shows no respect for the unemployed and which never breaks the rules, regardless how inappropriate and insensitive they are.

This is a rewarding, but emotionally draining film which uses humour and farcical scenarios to paint a very dim picture of a welfare system which sadly may never be improved. (MMo)

★★★★