To be of service to others Vera Drake brings the joyous mood that seems to surround her wherever she wanders.  If she is not cooking and cleaning at her own home she seeks to help others.  She tends to handicapped and depressed neighbors, nurtures her aging mother, cleans in upper-class homes, invites lonely men to her family's dinner table, and she performs abortions free of charge to young women in need.  Many think of her as the perfect wife who does everything with pleasure while curing the tinier predicaments in other peoples lives by implementing her most famous words, "I'll put a kettle on."  In essence, Vera seems to be an earthly angel that was brought to earth to make life a little better for those in need while she calls all “dear”.

Abortion is the controversial element of the story, as Vera innocently moves about to perform these terminations of the pregnancies.  Vera's method to perform the abortions is equally innocent, as she merely uses a syringe to fill the uterus with soapy water and a couple of days later the woman have a miscarriage.  Her clients always seem to be a little cautious after this short and painless procedure to which she calms them down by saying that after a day or two they will have some pain down below and after that everything will be ok, as she hurries to find someone else to help.  The abortions are only a small part of her life, yet she is strongly aware of society’s notions and laws against it.

Next to the story of Vera there is a smaller side story about Susan (Sally Hawkins), an innocent young upper-class girl, that ends up in a terrible situation after a male has not acknowledged her crying refusal of his nearness.  Susan's problems stir up strong emotional dilemma, a reflection of how many women might be experience the difficulty of the situation in which they were positioned.  Yet, this story provides a mirror into the world where money is not the object that prevents proper care and treatment.  The only connection Susan has with Vera is that she is the family's maid who comes and cleans the house on a scheduled basis.

Despite the magnitude of abortion in the film the story is focused on Vera Drake and her persona.  Selflessly and emotionally torn, she cooperates with Detective Inspector Webster, as he is getting to the bottom of things by following the 100-year old law that Vera broke, which was generated in 1861 by a large group of men without consideration for the women in society.  In shame, Vera admits to her wrongdoings, yet she believes she was only of help to those who needed her help.  It is emotionally painful to see Vera's constant smile wither away when the police visit her home, as it is to see her weep to the charges brought to her.  It is no surprise to see that Imelda Staunton was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Actress category and that she has won several other awards for this performance.

Mike Leigh has directed several brilliant films such as Abigail's Party (1977), Naked (1993), Secrets & Lies (1996), and Topsy-Turvy (1999). Each time Leigh succeeds in bringing a new issue into light through a new perspective, and in Vera Drake he does it again.  This time he does it in a subtle manner that does not assault the mind like many other films do in the contemporary cinematic world.  Instead Leigh employs delicate finesse in his way of presenting the story, as he does not force any ideas or notions upon the audience.  This presents Leigh's awareness of the audience’s own intelligence while he lets the audience make their own decisions in regards to their opinions.  Ultimately, Leigh provides a truly brilliant cinematic experience to the audience where the audience is left to their own device to form and contemplate upon their own notions in regards to Vera.

DIRECTED BY

COUNTRY

UK / France / New Zealand

Filmography links and data courtesy of