I, Daniel Blake (Loach, 2016)
What issues affect our society?
Racism
Poverty
Homophobia
Climate change
Police brutality
Films don’t want to address these issues since it is harder to sell these films. They would be too political and controversial. People also use media as a form of diversion.
The Social Realist Genre
In these films, they explore issues that affect the most vulnerable in our society
They are typically set in North England
Depict working class people as heroic
Appeals to a niche and fragmented audience
Anti establishment
Rebellion against authority
Include abuse
Deprivation in the working class
Anti British - attack the government and capitalism in general
Kes (1969)
A trouble making kid
Has problems at school and at home
Northern accents
Hints that something may be up with Casper
Strict school
Casper’s only form of escapism is his bird called Kes
The Selfish Giant (2013)
Kid gets excluded from school presumably for bad behaviour
Northern accent
Has a horse which he has a strong bond with
The kid does child labour for money
The labour involves pretty dangerous jobs for a kid
This is England (2006)
Kid gets bullied at school
Makes friends with a group of skinheads
Finds a group which he can relate to
Gets into all kinds of trouble
Northern accents
Deals with the issue of the unemployed
What makes the film an independent film?
What genre is it?
What specific issues does it focus on?
In what ways are working class people shown to be heroic?
I, Daniel Blake (2016)
The trailer focuses more on the story rather than showing flashy scenes
The trailer doesn’t really focus on promoting any of the actors
It has themes of rebellion since it shows Daniel doing graffiti in protest to how the job system works
It focuses on unemployment issues
It also focuses on how people with medical conditions aren’t really cared for, his doctor deemed him unfit for work but he has to continue working to receive benefits
Daniel is shown to be heroic since he is shown standing up to the government essentially
Talks about “non existent jobs” probably referring to shortage of jobs that accept someone with a medical condition or shortage of jobs in general
Issues of single parents having to provide for their kids but struggling to
Explain the ways in which social and political contexts may influence independent films. Refer to I, Daniel Blake to support your points
Dichotomy - same as opposites
Capitalism - an economic and political system in which a country’s trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state
I, Daniel Blake Facts
Estimated to be around £2 million budget
15.8 million USD box office
Earned £445,000 in the opening weekend
94 cinema screenings
The production companies are eOne Films, Why Not Productions, BBC Films, and Wild Bunch
It was distributed by BFI in the UK and Le Pacte in France
Directed by Ken Loach who also directed Sorry We Missed You, The Wind That Shakes The Barley, and Kes
Stars Hayley Squires (The Miniaturist, In Fabric)
Stars Dave Johns (23 Walks, Fisherman’s friends)
Stars Sharon Percy (The Song of Names, School for Seduction)
Stars Briana Shann
Stars Dylan Mckiernan
Stars Kate Rutter (Cotton Wool, The Full Monty)
Stars Kema Sikazwe (Lady Macbeth)
Got rated 92% critically on Rotten Tomatoes
Rated 7.9/10 on IMDb
Rated 78% on Metacritic
Audience scored it 85% on Rotten Tomatoes
Lots of positive user reviews on IMDb
Funded by BFI and BBC
Won multiple awards - Palme d’or, Prix du Public UBS, and more
I, Daniel Blake Age Rating: 15
There is infrequent use of very strong language ('cunt'), as well as more frequent use of strong language ('fuck'). Milder terms include 'bastard', 'bullshit, 'wanker', and 'twats'
Other issues include visual and verbal references to prostitution
There are two notable scenes of emotional intensity. They include 'the food bank' scene and the ending 'funeral' scene
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