BAFTA nominations highlight social drama 'I, Daniel Blake'
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Molly Driscoll Staff writer
The BAFTA award nominations have been announced and while many of the possible recipients echo the movies that have been nominated for prizes in the United States, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts also chose to honor the acclaimed film 鈥淚, Daniel Blake,鈥� which taps into the working-class frustrations that are spinning politics into an upheaval across the US and Europe.聽
The movies nominated for the BAFTA best film award are 鈥淎rrival,鈥� 鈥淚, Daniel Blake,鈥� 鈥淟a La Land,鈥� 鈥淢anchester by the Sea,鈥� and 鈥淢oonlight,鈥� while the movie directors up for the best director prize are Denis Villeneuve for 鈥淎rrival,鈥� Ken Loach for 鈥淚, Daniel Blake,鈥� Damien Chazelle for 鈥淟a La Land,鈥� Kenneth Lonergan for 鈥淢anchester by the Sea,鈥� and Tom Ford for 鈥淣octurnal Animals.鈥澛�
The best actor contenders are Andrew Garfield for 鈥淗acksaw Ridge,鈥� Casey Affleck for 鈥淢anchester by the Sea,鈥� Jake Gyllenhaal for 鈥淣octurnal Animals,鈥� Ryan Gosling for 鈥淟a La Land,鈥� and Viggo Mortensen for 鈥淐aptain Fantastic.鈥� The actresses nominated for the best actress award are Amy Adams for 鈥淎rrival,鈥� Emily Blunt for 鈥淭he Girl on the Train,鈥� Emma Stone for 鈥淟a La Land,鈥� Meryl Streep for 鈥淔lorence Foster Jenkins,鈥� and Natalie Portman for 鈥淛ackie.鈥澛�
The actors contending for the best supporting actor award are Aaron Taylor-Johnson for 鈥淣octurnal Animals,鈥� Dev Patel for 鈥淟ion,鈥� Hugh Grant for 鈥淔lorence Foster Jenkins,鈥� Jeff Bridges for 鈥淗ell or High Water,鈥� and Mahershala Ali for 鈥淢oonlight,鈥� while 鈥淚, Daniel Blake鈥� actress Hayley Squires, 鈥淢anchester by the Sea鈥� actress Michelle Williams, 鈥淢oonlight鈥� actress Naomie Harris, 鈥淟ion鈥� actress Nicole Kidman, and 鈥淔ences鈥� actress Viola Davis are nominated for the best supporting actress award.
So far, "Daniel" has only drawn attention during this major award season from the BAFTA nominations, in contrast to other best film nominees, with such films as 鈥淟a La Land鈥� and 鈥淢oonlight鈥� being nominated for prizes including the Golden Globe for best comedy or musical (or best drama) and the Screen Actors Guild Award for best cast.聽
鈥淒aniel鈥� has received mostly positive reviews for its story about a man who becomes ill and encounters trouble applying for government benefits. Monitor film critic Peter Rainer gave the movie a B+, writing that 鈥渢he story is powerfully focused and the acting is strong.... [Director] Loach鈥檚 low-key naturalism, which barely masks his fury at the injustices perpetrated on screen, is matched by Dave Johns's performance as Daniel. Without seeming pretentious about it, he comes across as an Everyman caught in the gears of an unfeeling system. As the young, indigent mother he befriends, Hayley Squires equals his performance.鈥�
Some critics are happy to see 鈥淒aniel鈥� recognized by the British Academy in a way they feel it deserves.
鈥淚, personally, was delighted to see I, Daniel Blake, a great little movie entirely overlooked since its Palme d'Or win at Cannes back in May, register in a big way,鈥� wrote, while wrote that 鈥淔or British film, Ken Loach's astounding 鈥業, Daniel Blake鈥� leads the pack with five nominations.鈥�
