Analyse af filmen 'I, Daniel Blake'

Daniel Blake is a 59-year-old man, who lives in Newcastle England. The film takes place in a poor working class neighborhood in winter or autumn, because there are no leaves on the trees and Daniel is wearing a warm hat and helps his friend Katie insulate her childrens windows from the cold. He even makes an improvised cheap heat source for Katie's children made from a clay pot and candles.

The film starts “in media res” by introducing us to Daniel who is being interviewed by a social “specialist” during a phone call. We don't see Daniel nor the social worker, we only hear the conversation, during which the social worker doesn't give him time to tell her about his heart condition. She rigidly asks him only to answer her questions although they are completely irrelevant. Daniel tries to explain to her that the doctor told him he must not work because of his heart condition. His battle with the system makes him forget his weak heart which finally ends up killing him before receiving the decision of the appeal.

Daniel used to work as a carpenter, but suffered a serious heart attack and has now been advised not to return to work by his doctor. The health consultant from the jobcentre however finds Daniel to be too healthy to receive benefits caused by illness. He does not fulfill the criteria. The consultants and the jobcentre advise him to apply for an appeal but the process is time demanding, thus being forced to apply for unemployment benefits but must meet the requirements given by the labour office. He must search for work and document that he has been applying for jobs 35 hours a week. The documentation must be carried out by taking a picture of the application or by applying online on a computer or phone. Daniel has never used a computer or a mobile phone in his life. Daniel only knows how to use a pencil and makes a CV written by hand.