I, Daniel Blake (2016)

Did I really feel up to another Ken Loach drama? Well, yes, when it's more esteemed than the others I've seen. And recent enough that I figured (correctly) that it wouldn't be too hard to understand the accents.

At 59, Daniel has a heart attack that prevents him from being allowed to continue his work in carpentry. He then finds the modern British system for benefits claims horribly tricky, leaving him quite worried about finances, with no family left to call on for help. But he does meet someone similarly desperate: Katie, a single mother of two young children. They come to support each other in non-economic ways, to mutual appreciation when not at their wits' ends.

It's easy to read a political message into this film. Say what you will about the U.S. system; it could hardly be worse than the U.K.'s as depicted herein. I try not to share Daniel's anger at the social workers, who have their hands bureaucratically tied. (One woman starts helping him in earnest only to get chastised by her supervisor.) Actually, it's more than twice as bad for him as it is for most people, because he never used a computer before and there's not much navigation he can do without one. The audience chuckled at many moments in the process, but it'd be funnier if we didn't perceive the depiction as basically accurate.

Katie's situation never does get funny. Her kids are likable, even if her son tends to be off in his own little world, but that doesn't stop her from stooping to moves that Daniel would never make. And she sobs a lot whenever someone discovers her cause for shame. It's much harder to laugh at sadness than anger.

In an amusing supporting role is Daniel's apartment neighbor, a black man identified only as "China" (Cockney slang for "mate"). China gets Daniel's attention initially by being bad about disposing of trash and then by using Daniel's address to receive mildly illegal goods, but he's chummy enough to forgive, especially after helping with computer matters.

Nevertheless, there's a reason you won't find comedy listed among the flick's genres. It doesn't end on a high note. In fact, when the credits roll, there's no music at first; I take that as a signal to think very seriously on what we just saw.

I like and admire I,DL and would recommend it to dedicated moviegoers. Just be warned that it's not particularly feel-good.