People against the machine

 After a string of classic movies like Kes, Ken Loach brings us the deeply moving I,Daniel Blake. This is the film that earned Loach his second Palme d'Or award as well as a BAFTA for the outstanding British film to 2016.

I, Daniel Blake is underpinned by the idea that the benefits system is not jusr a “monumental farce” but that the system is also being used as a political weapon to discourage people from claiming the benefits they need and to which they are entitled. Even though Daniel Blake has a heart condition which prevents him from working, Benefits Office staff him to apply for Job Seekers Allowance and to keep applying for jobs which he can't take, on medical advice. 

 

This film isn't just about politics. It's also about people and their personal relationships. As the system tries to reduce people in need of help to mere numbers, there's an emerging sense of community as the less fortunate and those who have been abused by the system pull together to oppose the featureless machine that threatens to cruch them. 

Thomas Jack

Daniel Blake in Leicester



I, Daniel Blake poster. Obtained from the
distributor and posted on 22nd November 2016 to:
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I,_Daniel_Blake.

 I'm a film student and when I, Daniel Blake was released neither my lecturers nor my fellow students would stop talking about it.

Ken Loach is a well known for his realist films that shine a light on real people with real problems. His past successes include classics such as Kes (1969) and Looking for Eric (2009). After watching the trailer and seeing its social realist themes I was eager to see it.  

 

Many people I have spoken to have seen the film and speak highly of it. This can be reflected with the reviews and ratings on sites such as Rotten Tomatoes where it gained the very high score of 93% from its audience. The film also won the Palme d'Or at Cannes as well as the BAFTA award for Best British Film.

After all of this success I, Daniel Blake is finally coming to De Montfort University in a special afternoon screening as part of the Cultural Exchanges Festival.. Tickets are currently sold out, but you may want to check by email or linger at the door in the hope of returns.

Chardae Green

Childhood hero, adult inspiration

When I was a child, my Dad sat my brother and me down and said: "You've got to watch this film, it'll change your life."

The film was Kes, and it changed my perception of the world. I knew then that the world wasn't just slow-motion romantic strolls and Transformers.

I have a strange built-in shyness around hero figures of mine. When Ken Loach entered the room, I wanted to drag him away and ask him millions of questions I knew nobody would want to ask him but me. Everybody has a different perception of the films Loach makes - that's why they are so brilliant.

Loach talked about his early years in television - a time that makes me insanely jealous. Can you imagine the BBC making those films now? The men in the suits would have heart attacks.

Politics are important to Loach, and play an important part in all his work. Some say his work is downbeat and miserable, but others - like me - believe that his work is full of hope and truth. You never feel cheated.

At 74 years of age, Ken Loach looks fit and strong and he talks with passion and gusto. I could have listened to him all night. If I become successful in my chosen medium, I may be able to battle that hero-worshipping shyness and do just that.


Daley James Francis


image sourced through wikimedia commons

Kes and the F- word

I'm looking forward to seeing Ken Loach at DMU's Cultural eXchange week (5th March); his drama Cathy Come Home is one of the most significant UK TV plays ever made.

However, an unwelcome school memory has re-surfaced: 1983, year of my English O-Level, lesson conducted by a teacher with a fondness for contemporary literature (I will call her Miss X-Pletive). We were reading A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines, inspiration for the film Kes, directed by Ken Loach.

Back then (and up until 17 February 2010), I was never a great one for swearing, confounding school friends :"Go on, say The Bloody Tower. It's OK, it's not like proper swearing."

I refused.

This particular day, Miss X-Pletive picked on girls in the class to read out passages from Hines's book. My section was liberally seasoned with the f-word, used as a reinforcing adverb that I, as an ultra-sensitive teen, couldn't say.

So, I refused to read. I could hear the sneers and sniggers from my class mates as my cheeks burned brightly.

Twenty seven years later and I am now a mature student studying Creative Writing and English Language at DMU. A recent lecture concerned taboo words and I even said a very naughty four-letter word out loud. I haven't died of embarrassment (yet).

These words are just one small part of our rich language and culture. Does this finally mean I have grown up?

Blog off!


Sally Jack


image from BBFC through wikimedia commons