And at number nine in 2016s list?
Its I, Daniel Blake…
9.
I, Daniel Blake
This article contains spoilers.
It is a simple film, unadorned by concerns such as CGI or contiguity within its brand.
It was filmed on location in and around Newcastle.
Its furious, urgent and very much about now.
The final scenes evoke a sense of dread, a horror films inevitability.
With the cast still relatively unknown, its easier to buy into the realism.
Director Ken Loach worked with writer Paul Laverty, who hed been collaborating with since the mid-Nineties.
Information was withheld from extras to elicit genuine reactions.
Laverty asked numerous food banks across the country, and confirmed this scene is based on real events.
Mass media in turn had strong opinions on the film, not all of them positive.
The reviewer from theTimesdescribedI, Daniel Blake in a tweet linking to their review as Preachy and poorly made.
A povvo safari for middle class people.
I suppose why you hope it connects to people is that we need to fight back.
This is quite an impressive feat near Stirling.
An increasingly angry man stood watching it, presumably waiting for it to do something wilder and more exciting.
Eventually he gave up, muttered Fucking lazy bastard and walked away in a huff.
The power ofI, Daniel Blakemay only hold sway over people already sympathetic or empathetic to its story.
It reflected the concerns and queries of people who wanted advice and help.
There is a risk thatI, Daniel Blakecan be merely an ephemeral thing.
If you know its happening, if you believe it, then you leave the cinema with a responsibility.
