Barnes & Noble

On this side of the Atlantic, British actress Imelda Staunton had been little known prior to this film. But her Academy Award-nominated performance here elevates this modest but poignant drama into a definite must-see. The film is set in London, in the early 1950s, with wartime rationing still in effect. Times are tough, especially for the working poor. Cheery cleaning woman Vera Drake (Staunton) doesn't let things get her down, though; after toiling all day in the well-appointed home of her wealthy employer, she's perfectly happy to come home to a crowded flat and look after her husband and two children. She also, without fanfare, performs safe abortions on those who desperately need the illegal procedure -- women and girls who have been taken advantage of in one way or another. The crux of the film is what happens when the police find out about Vera's avocation and show up at her door. Writer-director Mike Leigh (Secrets & Lies) captures the drama inherent in such a situation while avoiding sensationalism; the focus is not so much on Vera's clandestine activities as on the conditions that make them necessary. The film doesn't specifically align itself with pro-choice or pro-life positions but, rather, exposes the hypocrisy that surrounds this issue: illegal or not, getting safe abortions has never been a problem for the wealthy, only for those who may need them most. At its core, though, Vera Drake is not about abortion. It's about a poor but proud family enduring hardship with loyalty and love. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

Written and directed by Academy Award-nominee Mike Leigh and set in England during the 1950s, this movie revolves around Vera Drake (Imelda Staunton), whose unrelenting dedication to her family is well known throughout her blue-collar town. However, there are more people than her rapidly aging mother and ill neighbor who depend on Vera's care. Though abortion was illegal and, of course, widely frowned upon in the '50s, Vera sees women going through unwanted pregnancies the same as she would anyone else -- human beings deserving of treatment. With this in mind, she regularly induces miscarriages for those who need them, and her patients are consistently grateful for her gentleness and understanding. Unfortunately for Vera, the law doesn't see her as aiding those in need; they interpret the abortions as murder, as do most of the other people in her life. When Vera's activities are revealed, her family life and relationships with those around her -- including the ones she helped nurse back to health -- are put in jeopardy. Vera Drake also features performances from Jim Broadbent, Heather Craney, and Philip Davis. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

Product Details

• UPC: 794043784125
• Source: NEW LINE HOME VIDEO
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
• Editions: Subtitled
• Time: 2:05:00
• Sales Rank: 43,014

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