Daniel Blake has suffered a major heart attack and he needs monetary assistance until he can get back to work. At sixty-something he is baffled by the system; his doctors say he is unfit to go back to work but the state has said he must be actively seeking work to be eligible for benefits. Daniel meets a young single mum who is also having trouble getting the assistance she needs.

The story is true on so many levels. A system where no one really understands the problems but everyone follows the rules; manual labourers who must apply for benefits online when they’ve never used a computer, and the frustration felt by those who are genuinely in need.