This grim realist drama succeeds in putting some humanity into the austerity/benefits debate, but Ken Loach undoes the impact of his polemical film with simplistic emotional manipulation. Indeed, Loach's agenda interferes and reduces his storytelling to mere melodrama at least twice.
Take the scene in which a starving Katie visits a foodbank; she is surrounded by fruit, bread and vegetables, yet she messily eats cold beans out of a tin and bursts out crying in shame. Why would she eat this when she could choose food that's far easier to eat? Because Ken Loach wants us to feel bad, that's why.
And then there's the ending, which sees Daniel and Katie meeting with an adviser who's confident that he can win his appeal. However, just as the film's mood starts to finally buoy, Daniel keels over and dies in the bathroom. Predictable, very predictable. It's surprising that a veteran director like Loach would use such formulaic emotional manipulation.
Take the scene in which a starving Katie visits a foodbank; she is surrounded by fruit, bread and vegetables, yet she messily eats cold beans out of a tin and bursts out crying in shame. Why would she eat this when she could choose food that's far easier to eat? Because Ken Loach wants us to feel bad, that's why.
And then there's the ending, which sees Daniel and Katie meeting with an adviser who's confident that he can win his appeal. However, just as the film's mood starts to finally buoy, Daniel keels over and dies in the bathroom. Predictable, very predictable. It's surprising that a veteran director like Loach would use such formulaic emotional manipulation.