TheGodling
Los Ingobernables de Sala de Cine
Cannes loves its social dramas about blue collar workers so after the Dardenne brothers it's no surprise that Ken Loach now too joins the elite club of being a two time Palm d'Or winner. I, Daniel Blake tells the story of the titular character, a middle aged joiner who applies for welfare benefits after a heart attack makes him unable to continue his current job. Being told his condition isn't serious enough to get benefits for disablement, he must both appeal the decision and apply for unemployment benefits at the same time, but finds himself facing a relentless digitalized system he doesn't understand and appointments with social workers who treat people like numbers. Along the way he meets and supports a young, single mother who is facing similar issues with her benefits, and together they struggle to survive a system that appears to try its hardest to push away the people who need it the most. It's pretty much what one can usually expect from Loach (and screenwriter Paul Laverty), and although I'm not sure its currently relevant thematics make a big enough difference to warrant the Palm d'Or win, it's another strong entry in Loach' filmography.
Although the reviews ended up less than stellar it's a bit weird how even beforehand this movie seemed to fly completely under the radar as one of the awards season candidates, what with Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine, The Place Beyond The Pines) returning to the romantic drama and it starring Fassbender, Vikander and Weisz (the first two now a couple because of their time spent together making this movie). A WWI veteran applies for a job as a lighthouse keeper on a remote island to find himself some calm after the horrors of war, but becomes enamored with a girl from a local coast town. Their passionate love however quickly finds a major setback, and a boat that drifts ashore carries a gift that will change their lives forever, for better and possibly worse. It's absolutely beautifully shot, boasting incredible scenery alongside equally impressive performances by Fassbender and Vikander especially. Cianfrance takes his time again, and beforehand I already figured this would be one of those "collective sighs" movies (you know, where the end credits appear and the crowd does a gigantic collective sigh because it is finally over) and I was right, but I'd say for at least the first half of the movie Cianfrance earns the right to take this approach as he slowly gets you accustomed to these two people dealing with love and hardship. As the movie progresses however the narrative starts to fall apart a bit under the weight of its increasing melodramatic turns, and one can wonder if maybe this wouldn't have worked a thousand times better if this story was just about the love between two people. Regardless, it's a solid drama that deserves a bit more credit than most critics have given it.
