It usually centres on the British or Irish working class and the protagonist sticking it to the system. The morals and themes are primarily leftwing, you usually get some top performances and the general feel of it always seems as if we are watching real life.
With 'I, Daniel Blake' , the trailer certainly shows that you should not expect anything different. Winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes certainly puts the pressure on to prove to the general audience, that this is worthy of winning the award.
Now that I have seen it, it is certainly more of the same from Loach, in a good way. From the very funny opening scene, you instantly feel sympathy for the main character and that settles you in nicely for what is to come.
For the rest of the film, it moves along nicely, the performances get better and better and then it comes to an emotional ending.
The leading performances by Dave Johns and Hayley Squires are nothing short of fantastic. Loach always bring out the best of his cast and Johns and Squires are nothing different. They felt raw, genuine and as if Loach has just pulled them off the streets and told them to be themselves. I can see them possibly getting BAFTA nominations.
The rest of the cast are in-keeping with the rest of the film and never felt out of place.
The only negative for me is that it is kind of one-sided. I have experienced the good side as well as the bad side of the company being shown in the film. But this one shows nothing positive. Thankfully, it is only a very minor negative as I rarely bring in personal experience to certain films. I still consider it as one of the best films of the year.
While I can see some demographics seeing this as preachy and generally be put off by the social messages. I felt it to be very relatable, especially for me as I have experienced elements of what our main character has had to face. It may be one of the more important films this year as the message portrays a certain side of British society really well on the whole.
It is another strong feature by Loach and his team with really strong performances and a great authenticity of the look of the film. It is uplifting, emotional, hard-hitting and also very funny. Out of the films that I have seen that were in competition for the Palme d'Or, they would have got my vote as well. Also, films that win this award can sometimes be a Best Picture nominee at the Oscars. However, I cannot see that happening. The BAFTA's is probably its best bet of some major award success.
Rating: 8/10
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