It's 1950 Great Britain. King George VI still rules, and the country remains bedeviled by austerity measures brought on by WWII. Vera lives with her husband Stan (Philip Davis), mousy daughter Ethel (Alex Kelly), and unprepossessing son Sid (Daniel Mays) in a crowded north London flat. Though Stan owns and operates an auto repair garage with his brother, the Davis lifestyle is decidedly blue collar. Vera works as a house cleaner for upper middle-class clients. In her spare time, she ministers to homebound invalids, including her mother. Vera is generous, unfailingly cheerful, and good-hearted to a fault. Unbeknownst to her family, she's also the friendly neighborhood abortionist, who, without remuneration, helps lower class girls that find themselves in a family way. Vera's tools of the trade are carbolic soap, warm water, a length of hose, and a syringe bulb, all of which she uses to induce miscarriage. After years of uncomplicated practice, one of her clients almost dies of a pelvic infection. The medical authorities call in the coppers; Vera is arrested and tried.

The creators of VERA DRAKE do a superlative job re-creating the grubby existence of the English working class during this period. Except for those scenes shot in the homes of the relatively affluent, the ambience is grotty, dark, cramped, cheap, and even squalid. It's against this backdrop that the contrast is drawn between the medically safe, albeit illegal, abortions circumspectly available to those that can afford it (at 150 pounds sterling) and those - Vera's clients - that can't. The film isn't either anti or pro abortion, but rather condemns the inequality of care dictated by one's financial resources, a situation that never changes worldwide.

Staunton's role doesn't call for the wild mood swings of Theron's in MONSTER, but the dramatic intensity of the former performance is no less remarkable, and is best seen when Vera is being interrogated by the stolid but otherwise sympathetic Detective Inspector Webster, admirably played by Peter Wight. Vera is like a dumb animal caught in a trap of its own making, and the viewer's heart will likely bleed for the woman regardless of his/her personal view of abortion.

The film is, secondarily, a story of family bonds as Vera's husband, daughter, son, and daughter's fiancé Reg (Eddie Marsan) close ranks when Mum is fingered, despite their universal shock and horror at her underground activities. Amidst a plethora of fine supporting performances, Davis as the loyal Stan arguably deserved a Best Supporting Actor award.

VERA DRAKE is unremittingly depressing, and there's no happy ending., but it's undoubtedly one of 2004's ten best pictures.

"Cup 'a tea, Dear? Now, down with the knickers."
Review date: 2005-04-08 Rating: 10 out of 10

Imelda Staunton is Vera Drake to perfection. Director/Writer Mike Leigh has crafted a wonderfully entertaining and moving film about subject matters that most people find depressing. Who wants to see how older single poor people live out their dreary lives in tiny apartments in 1950's London? Who wants to see the snobbish rich look down on everyone around them? Who would want to witness `old-time' abortion? That is how well Director Leigh and Actress Staunton work this film. The scenes can be dreary, especially with the lighting and attention to detail done perfectly. Staunton as Vera is an astonishing character to watch. She happily hums through any tedious chore, whether it is polishing a rich woman's fireplace ornamentation to delivering food to an elderly man who looks like he hasn't moved from his chair in weeks. The scenes where Vera cheerfully helps out the young girls with a solution to induce a miscarriage is done like any other chore Vera has in her busy charitable life. Her cheerfulness permeates the film. It isn't until the police arrive and shatter the family's world with the revelation that Vera is the one who has been aborting many of the girls in London. The backstabbing of Vera's stuffy "accountant" and the pompous vile of the rich mother whose daughter falls ill is shocking, but not unexpected. Vera's family is a testament to true family values when trouble arises. The only disappointment in this film is that Vera never truly realizes what she has done. She is aware, and we sympathize, but she does not understand why it is considered wrong. Her innocence is charming, but some self-realization could have gone a long way.

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