Plot: Newcastle upon Tyne, England. On the very far side of middle age, widowed Daniel Blake, a construction worker specializing in fine carpentry work, is recuperating from a heart attack. Despite his GP and cardiologist's assessment that he is not yet fit enough to return to work, he is denied employment and support allowance based on the standardized criteria assessment by the government agency. With no savings and no personal support, he is relying on some sort of government financial assistance to help him through this time when he should not be working. As he tries to set in motion the appeals process for the employment and support allowance and as he tries to find any other government program for which he may even be remotely eligible to tie him through the short term until he is deemed healthy enough to return to work, he runs into one bureaucratic quagmire after another, each process seemingly designed to make people like him fail and give up. Through this time, he is enmeshed within the lives of two sets of people. The first is his young neighbor, China, and China's friend, Piper, who are trying to start a new business in today's global economy. The second is Katie Morgan, a single mother to adolescents Daisy and Dylan Morgan. The Morgans have just moved to Newcastle from London solely as that is where there was social housing available. Katie too has fallen into the bureaucratic runaround at social services. Regardless, Katie is determined to make a home for her two children despite her financial problems. Regardless of his own health and financial issues, the former which he doesn't tell Katie, Daniel is equally determined that Katie will not end up in the same situation as him, he doing whatever he can to help her.
Alternative Plot: Daniel Blake (Dave Johns) is a 59-year-old widowed carpenter who must rely on welfare after a recent heart attack leaves him unable to work. Despite his doctor's diagnosis, British authorities deny Blake's benefits and tell him to return to his job. As Daniel navigates his way through an agonizing appeal process, he begins to develop a strong bond with a destitute, single mother (Hayley Squires) who's struggling to take care of her two children.
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