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.

The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)

Many movies and shows stop streaming on Netflix on January 1. This one stops on December 31 for some reason, so I gave it priority. At least I won't take as long to decide what to watch for the next week or so.

Set in Ireland in the early '20s, the plot moves from one war (of independence) to another (civil) so swiftly that I didn't immediately realize there was more than one. For the first, brothers Damien and Teddy become inclined to fight the British when some Black and Tans kill their friend for little reason. For the second, they are on opposites sides regarding whether to accept the compromise of the peace treaty until a better time to push for more rights. I might as well tell you now: It does not end well for them.

Kes (1969)

While popular internationally, this film saw limited release in the U.S. I could easily tell why: Never have I had more trouble understanding an English accent. For the first hour or so, I had to listen carefully to parse even half the sentences, especially those spoken by teens like the star. (Kids still said "thee" in northern England then?) It probably doesn't help that director Ken Loach favored amateur actors. Only later, reading the essay booklet included in the case, did I discover that the DVD offered an alternate dubbing -- and even that wasn't so easy. Why not offer subtitles?

Mercifully, unlike the last movie I reviewed, this one doesn't rely much on dialog. Oh, there's plenty of it, but I could get the gist of events by watching. I might go so far as to say that I didn't really need to hear any of it.