In the very strong competition of last year’s Cannes Film Festival, George Miller (‘Mad Max’) surprisingly awarded the Palme d’Or to British filmmaker Ken Loach for the work ‘I, Daniel Blake’. This is a film whose humanitarian message is not only commendable but also desperately needed, stand-up comedian Dave Johns is very good in the lead role, and few present the whirlwind of cruelty and absurdity of state bureaucracy as well as socialist and last romantic Ken Loach.
However, it seems he is unsure whether he wants ‘I, Daniel Blake’ to be a documentary portrayal of everyday life or a film with a message. The dramaturgical techniques he uses to connect these two poles are not the happiest choices, and Loach’s depiction of society as a group of good, noble, but helpless people is not precise and suggestive enough for the viewer to truly believe that the director’s vision is correct. A film whose heart is in the right place, but whose final execution is not convincing enough.
+ Directed by: Ken Loach
+ Starring: Dave Johns, Hayley Squires, Dylan McKiernan
+ I, Daniel Blake, 2016, United Kingdom, 100 minutes
Rating: 3/5
