I, Daniel Blake

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2:22

I, Daniel Blake

R

2017

1h 37m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

92%

Tomatometer

184 Reviews

85%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Daniel Blake (Dave Johns) is a 59-year-old widowed carpenter who must rely on welfare after a recent heart attack leaves him unable to work. Despite his doctor's diagnosis, British authorities deny Blake's benefits and tell him to return to his job. As Daniel navigates his way through an agonizing appeal process, he begins to develop a strong bond with a destitute, single mother (Hayley Squires) who's struggling to take care of her two children.

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Critics Consensus

I, Daniel Blake marks yet another well-told chapter in director Ken Loach's powerfully populist filmography.

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Namrata Joshi

The Hindu

I, Daniel Blake is about the struggles of an ailing common man against the labyrinthine welfare bureaucracy to get that elusive 'employment and support allowance.'

Jul 24, 2018

Full Review

Michael Upchurch

Seattle Times

Whichever side you come down on, Johns' and Squires' low-key performances are impressive, and the technological/red-tape hurdles their characters face feel stingingly accurate.

Rated: 3/4

Jun 29, 2017

Full Review

Anthony Lane

The New Yorker

Politically, of course, it cleaves to the left, yet by temperament it shrinks from progress.

Jun 12, 2017

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Cameron Meier

MeierMovies.com

It’s no surprise Loach made a film that delivers such an emotional yet truthful pummeling. After all, he’s been neglecting to pull his punches since the late 1960s.

Rated: 4.25/5

Aug 11, 2025

Full Review

Diana Tuova

Spotlight on Film

Ken Loach proves that one does not need some extraordinary circumstances...to make a powerful...film full of conviction – it is simply enough to show life as it is – a simple daily struggle known to many and only too well.

Rated: 5/5

Aug 9, 2024

Full Review

Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

Loach’s plain-speaking film is a touchingly realistic parable.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 4, 2023

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Ian H

Kafkaesque bureaucracy in action. Sad, true and very moving

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/02/25

Full Review

David R

Good movie. The system really killed this good man. Government bureaucracy at is best while people struggle to make ends meet.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/28/25

Full Review

Liam D

Preston Media

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/29/25

Full Review

Jonathan K

This one went a direction I wasn't expecting. It emotionally comes at you out of nowhere, but in a good way. It's quite the commentary on our social systems and bureaucracies and how we (don't) take care of the elderly or people in need on this planet. The two lead actors are very good. Don't let the humdrum plot synopsis fool you, this is a worthwhile watch.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/09/24

Full Review

João Vitor d

A simple story, but very effective in the message it wants to convey. The feeling of agony and frustration remains throughout the film. The film's theme is the bureaucracy of the state and how it affects the people who need it the most. You can easily connect with the film. With good performances, especially from Hayley Squires, the scenes with a greater emotional charge are executed smoothly and have their effect (see the Foodbank scene). A film with good performances, a good story, that manages to move you and that in the end, life's suck.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/15/24

Full Review

David K

An extraordinarily touching film documenting the plight of the eponymous Daniel. Despite the humiliation of trying to navigate and comply with an impossibly tortuous and Kafka-esque welfare system, run almost exclusively by soulless minions of the State, Daniel manages to retain his dignity and moral authority by offering his help to equally determined and proud single mum, Katie. Together they show us the very best of humanity against all the odds. There is a particularly touching scene where Katie succumbs to overwhelming hunger when at her wit's end. This is followed by a heartbreakingly selfless scene where she shows she is willing to sacrifice all for her children. A very honest, raw and worthwhile film in my view.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/18/24

Full Review

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Ken Loach

Director

Dave Johns

Daniel Blake

Hayley Squires

Katie

Dylan McKiernan

Dylan

Briana Shann

Daisy

Kate Rutter

Ann

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I, Daniel Blake: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Daniel Blake (Dave Johns) is a 59-year-old widowed carpenter who must rely on welfare after a recent heart attack leaves him unable to work. Despite his doctor's diagnosis, British authorities deny Blake's benefits and tell him to return to his job. As Daniel navigates his way through an agonizing appeal process, he begins to develop a strong bond with a destitute, single mother (Hayley Squires) who's struggling to take care of her two children.

Director: Ken Loach
Producer: Rebecca O'Brien
Screenwriter: Paul Laverty
Distributor: IFC Films
Production Co: Sixteen Films, Why Not Productions, BBC Films, Wild Bunch
Rating: R (Language)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 2, 2017, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 15, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $258.2K
Runtime: 1h 37m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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