This film is part of Rentals
I, Daniel Blake
Ken Loach’s powerful, Palme d’Or-winning invective against welfare injustice captured the mood of modern Britain and became his biggest box office success.
Director: Ken Loach
Overview
Ken Loach returned from retirement to deliver this impassioned drama which courted controversy and captured the zeitgeist. Daniel Blake (Dave Johns) is a middle-aged carpenter out of work following a heart attack and in need of assistance, but who finds himself unable to navigate the impersonal, impenetrable world of corporatised welfare in 21st-century Britain. Frustrated and abandoned, Daniel befriends single mother Katie (Hayley Squires) in a similar situation. Both are marginalised by society and the government, but their friendship might just help each other get out of their rut.
Ken Loach has spent a distinguished career railing against capitalist indifference, bureaucratic incompetence and burning injustice, but he was supposedly handing over to the next generation following his 2011 film Jimmy’s Hall. Instead he was inspired to make a dramatic return, following the welfare cuts and societal changes that took hold in Britain shortly after his departure. He was rewarded with his second career Palme d’Or (following The Wind that Shakes the Barley) from the judges of the Cannes Film Festival, along with his best ever box office return, for a film that offers a powerful defence of the disenfranchised and a restatement of their right to be heard.
Related
Special People Special People
Comedy 2008 74 mins Director: Justin Edgar
Justin Edgar's pioneering feature comedy about a neurotic filmmaker enlisted to make a film with a class of wheelchair-users.
The Goldman Case The Goldman Case
Drama 2023 116 mins Director: Cédric Kahn
Gripping courtroom drama based on the explosive 1976 murder trial of French political activist, Pierre Goldman.
In Camera In Camera
Drama 2024 95 mins Director: Naqqash Khalid
A struggling actor faces relentless knockbacks in Naqqash Khalid’s sharp-witted comment on race and identity in the film industry.
Kneecap Kneecap
Drama 2024 105 mins Director: Rich Peppiatt
Fantastically outlandish biopic about the anarchic Belfast rap trio and their fight to save the Irish language.
The Post The Post
Drama 2017 116 mins Director: Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg’s acclaimed, gripping and timely drama about the publishing of the Pentagon Papers, featuring Tom Hanks and an Oscar-nominated performance from Meryl Streep.
Denial Denial
Drama 2017 110 mins Director: Mick Jackson
Powerful, aggressively relevant courtroom drama restaging the trial that questioned the events of the Holocaust. Rachel Weisz and Timothy Spall star.
Poor Cow Poor Cow
Drama 1968 101 mins Director: Ken Loach
Ken Loach’s perceptive, personal, and moving debut feature film tells the story of a young mother’s struggles while her husband is in jail.
Catch Me Daddy Catch Me Daddy
Thriller 2015 112 mins Director: Daniel Wolfe and Matthew Wolfe
A young couple whose relationship has divided a community are forced on the run through the streets and moors of nocturnal Yorkshire.
Harry Brown Harry Brown
Crime 2009 103 mins Director: Daniel Barber
Michael Caine’s storming return to an action role finds him as a retired marine confronting local hoodlums on his housing estate.
The Long Good Friday The Long Good Friday
Gangster 1981 109 mins Director: John Mackenzie
Bob Hoskins charms as a London mob boss brokering a development deal with the American mafia – but somebody wants to see him dead.
Mona Lisa Mona Lisa
Drama 1986 100 mins Director: Neil Jordan
Neil Jordan's gritty thriller stars Bob Hoskins as a gangster recently released from prison who falls in love with the prostitute he is supposed to be protecting.
Journeyman Journeyman
Drama 2018 92 mins Director: Paddy Considine
Paddy Considine directs and stars with Jodie Whittaker in this emotional knockout - the story of a boxer rebuilding his life after a near-fatal injury.
23 Walks 23 Walks
Romance 2020 102 mins Director: Paul Morrison
Two older strangers, both bruised by former relationships, start a tentative new romance in this tender drama starring Dave Johns and Alison Steadman.
Hoard Hoard
Drama 2023 126 mins Director: Luna Carmoon
A young woman journeys through childhood trauma and emerging sexuality in this staggering drama from an exciting new voice in British cinema.
True Things True Things
Drama 2021 102 mins Director: Harry Wootliff
Ruth Wilson is at her best in this compelling drama about a lonely woman whose life is changed by Tom Burke, the dangerous stranger who offers something different.
Sorry We Missed You Sorry We Missed You
Drama 2018 102 mins Director: Ken Loach
Ken Loach’s look at working life in today’s gig economy is a fine and powerful successor to I, Daniel Blake.
The Angels' Share The Angels' Share
Comedy 2012 97 mins Director: Ken Loach
A young Glaswegian father-to-be discovers his nose for whisky and spots a chance to help his friends. Directed by Ken Loach.
Jimmy's Hall Jimmy's Hall
Drama 2014 109 mins Director: Ken Loach
Ken Loach’s final fiction film is a spirited account of a 1930s Irish social club that becomes a bastion of jazz and free-thinking, angering the Church.
My Name Is Joe My Name Is Joe
Drama 1998 105 mins Director: Ken Loach
Ken Loach's intense drama boasts a majestic performance from Peter Mullan as a recovering alcoholic in Glasgow, struggling with his feelings for a local health worker.
Poor Cow Poor Cow
Drama 1968 101 mins Director: Ken Loach
Ken Loach’s perceptive, personal, and moving debut feature film tells the story of a young mother’s struggles while her husband is in jail.
Which Side Are You On? Songs, Poems and Experiences of the Miners' Strike, 1984 Which Side Are You On? Songs, Poems and Experiences of the Miners' Strike, 1984
Anthology 1985 54 mins Director: Ken Loach
Ken Loach’s documentary focuses on the 1984 Miner’s Strike, capturing a range of complicated emotions, situations, and circumstances.
Special People Special People
Comedy 2008 74 mins Director: Justin Edgar
Justin Edgar's pioneering feature comedy about a neurotic filmmaker enlisted to make a film with a class of wheelchair-users.
Timestalker Timestalker
Comedy 2024 89 mins Director: Alice Lowe
What if unrequited love spanned the centuries? Alice Lowe's time-jumping fantasy rom-com is a colourful, darkly funny treat.
South: Sir Ernest Shackleton's Glorious Epic of the Antarctic South: Sir Ernest Shackleton's Glorious Epic of the Antarctic
Documentary 1919 81 mins Silent Director: Frank Hurley
An extraordinary story of survival in the wastes of Antarctica.
Night Courier (Mandoob) Night Courier (Mandoob)
Comedy 2023 112 mins Director: Ali Kalthami
A desperate delivery driver gets caught up in the dark underworld of Riyadh in Ali Kalthami’s gripping, pitch-black satire.
The Ballymurphy Precedent The Ballymurphy Precedent
Documentary 2018 108 mins Director: Callum Macrae
John Pilger's film on the conflict in Northern Ireland is a skilful mix of investigative journalism, documentary storytelling and reflections on contemporary history.
Utopia Utopia
Documentary 2013 111 mins Director: John Pilger and Alan Lowery
John Pilger's portrayal of the oldest continuous human culture is also an investigation into a suppressed colonial past, and rapacious present.