Vera Drake

Synopsis: Vera Drake (Imelda Staunton) is a working class woman, by day cleaning for the upper crust, and in the evenings caring for her family and other neighbourhood acquaintances in need of a cheery smile and a "cuppa". But, unbeknownst to anyone, she also moonlights as a back-yard abortionist. When the law finally catches up with her, her world falls apart.

When it comes to depicting the contrasts of English society Mike Leigh has an outstanding résumé. In his latest film, the meticulous observation of Vera's dark, cramped-but-welcoming 1950s post-war home and her domestic environment is beautiful, both physically and emotionally. Vera is the backbone of her family, still in love with husband, Stan (Phil Davis), and adoring of her excruciatingly-awkward daughter, Ethel (Alex Kelly) and son, Sid (Daniel Mays). Amongst all her activity, she still has time to invite Reg (Eddie Marsan) home for dinner, and in Reg's character we also gain an insight into the effect World War 2 had on this stratum of English society.

The contrast between a rich young girl seeking an abortion in a fancy private hospital, and the sad syringe and soapy water abortions Vera provides is startling. Leigh handles these scenes in a very delicate and compassionate way, giving us tiny snippets of these desperate young womens' lives. He presents Vera sympathetically; she takes no pay for her work, although Lily (Ruth Sheen), the shark who sets the jobs up, takes money which she pockets without telling Vera.

The most stunning thing in this film is the heart-wrenching performance of Staunton, for which she received a well-deserved Golden Globe. Many people of that vintage found it hard to express themselves beyond niceties, and so when Vera finds herself in the dock she is unable to muster the sort of arguments that would have perhaps worked for a more eloquent person. Her complete transformation from a rock of strength to an uncomprehending and distraught women is a tour-de-force of acting.

With the increasingly right-wing moralistic shift in today's society, this film has a timely resonance. The issues are there for us to consider: if abortion is made harder then young girls have no option but to resort to the Veras of the world; but how can we condemn Vera when she firmly believes that she is doing a good turn for these women?

Leigh certainly presents some of his characters as morally corrupt and contemptible (Vera's social-climbing sister-in-law for one), but with Vera we are left to decide for ourselves where we stand on the issue. And because her family life is presented so authentically, with every actor mustering a first class performance, we almost end up feeling that we've seen a slice of real life before our eyes, with a restraint in direction that makes Leigh king of the kitchen-sink drama.

 

 

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