It's really no wonder Ken Loach's magnificent I, Daniel Blake won the Palme D'Or at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. I've been a longtime dedicated Loach fan since my teens, and this one really is a masterpiece. He's made some very strong films, though critics at times find him a little too didactic. I, Daniel Blake is the agonizing tale of navigating social services and welfare in the UK. It follows a widower trying to collect interim benefits while out of work following a heart attack. It also follows a single mother as she navigates the impossible system, the bond Daniel and her young family forge, and how they all love, help, and support each other. I, Daniel Blake is heartbreaking and profound. 5/5 |