Vera Drake

Having been concerned that Mike Leigh was 'borrowing' liberally from Claude Chabrol's 'Une affaire de femmes', which won Isabelle Huppert a Best Actress gong at the Venice Film Festival, and having admired the bulk of Leigh's work, both stage and film, I tried to approach this as neutrally as possible but ultimately I found it disappointing. Vera is portrayed as a sort of cockney Mother Teresa, practically too good to live and Leigh spends a good 20 minutes or so limning her goodness and willingness to put herself out for others before the delayed revelation, almost thrown away and with no build-up, that she is, in fact, an abortionist. For some reason the period detail fails to ring true and it's almost unbelievable to depict a society (1950) in which EVERYONE is happy or at least content, not a protester or whinger in sight. As if that weren't enough the music - ideally the music in a film should be unobtrusive - practically cries out 'listen to these sombre cellos establishing gloom'. The acting is certainly adequate but no more than that and Staunton, for all the hype surrounding her, is definitely not in the same league as Huppert. Okay, it's watchable -just, but don't miss Bowling For Dollars to catch this.

We watched this film with my college here in leicester at the phoenix theatre, it wasn't a surprise to me to discover that Mike Leigh has done it again! after watching secrets and lies by the same director I didn't think there could be a film that was even more depressing and boring I WAS WRONG. Thank you for wasting 2 hours and 5 minutes of my life. I should have learnt my lesson. There was too much crying and not enough action, at times i wanted to shout "get the hell on with it!" I think the way the director constructs his films is quite unique and commendable (with the actors doing much improvisation) but COME ON! make some happier films because one more like that and i just might jump off a cliff. Unless your into illegal abortion in the 1950's and a lot of crying and disappointment, give this one a miss.

Despite classy acting and Mike Leigh's trademark direction, this is a big disappointment.Vera Drake, the back-street abortionist with a heart of gold (24 carat) is literally 'too good to be true'.Once we know her little secret, the plot is utterly predictable and brings no surprises -'it's the rich what gets the pleasure, it's the poor what gets the blame' etc. Not exactly a novel theme. Worse still, abortion as a moral/political issue is never confronted. So this is more a critique of the British class system than an exploration of the abortion question. Even then, there is a whiff of the stereotype - the settings and costumes look to be precisely that. By setting the story in the early 1950s, Leigh weakens its critical impact further. A shame that he could not bring himself to deal with the 21st century. As it is, we are encouraged to see everything as 'historical' - but what about today's problems and concerns? Unfortunately,our belief in the character of Vera Drake is severely tested when Imelda Staunton appears in a pinny - comparison with Julie Walters depiction of Mrs Overall is irresistible! And there is only so much silent emoting, by both Vera and the upper-class girl, that the audience can take. Vera presents herself to the forces of law (where Jim Broadbent is badly mis-cast as a judge) as a passive victim who does not even have the spunk to speak out in her own defence. This invites neither sympathy nor pity so much as contempt. The general impression is that Mike Leigh has lost his way and is going round in circles.

Just caught Vera Drake on television as it was shown at 4 o'clock in the morning on Starz. To me, the standout performance is that of Vera's daughter, Ethel, who is either severely retarded or dumbfounded by what is going on in this film. Vera is made to come off as a victim. Her stupidity is unmatched. She knew very well what she was doing. She refused to label it abortion, but would say that she is "helping" girls. Too kind to accept remuneration, did she really believe what she was doing, or is she just plain stupid? Could our heroine, Vera, rival James Dean as the rebel with a cause? The real victims here are the family who will have to live through all this. The first hour of this film is tiresome. We can really learn to become performing abortion experts. Suddenly, when caught, British actress Imelda Staunton pulls out crying, wining and a sense of innocence not seen since the crocodile tears of a not-so-innocent Katharine Hepburn, in a plethora of films. The judge will not give Vera the least severe sentence for her misdeeds. An example must be set. At least, he admitted that.

I had to force myself to finish this movie, I had to watch it for the purpose of presenting my thoughts on its bias in being used in a presentation on abortion, if I didn't need to review it, I would have stopped watching it in the first 20 minutes. This movie has literally no soundtrack, it has pointless scenes that have nothing to do with the plot of the movie. This movie has a definite bias that was intended to benefit the pro-choice movement, I wouldn't have been surprised if Planned Parenthood footed the bill for it. Vera Drake is an abortionist who goes around providing her services to young women who she feels had no other choice. How could Vera really know this when she has never met any of these women before in her life, neither does she see them again later, so how she can decide how desperately they needed these services only her agent could know (though her agent was in it for the money). She is also-over confident in how safe her procedure is and her procedure ends up bringing many women to the doctor's office. The movie attempts to make those who watch it feel that there is no other choice for these women and that Vera was a hero in helping them out. Any person who keeps an open mind will watching the movie will realize that if Vera wished to be more positive she could have started up a pregnancy crisis centre for these women to help them in a time of need instead of taking such destructive measures. The international organization Birthright is just one example of such services that are available.

I have been a longtime fan of Mike Leigh, always fascinated to see his slice of life take on England. Because of his well known creative process, the intrigue would be to see the actors and the characters and dramas (and comedies) they created. They were always worth watching in a voyeuristic way due to Leigh's unobtrusive camera work. Vera Drake is well worth seeing for these same reasons, but Leigh has made a bigger and better movie than ever before, even with all of Topsy Turvy's bombast. His ambitions as director are greater than ever. First of all, to take on the subject of abortion is very brave. But I'll leave that for others to discuss. What was of interest to me from the opening shot was that this was going to be a visual tour de force, and it was. Painting the scenes in dark, crushing browns and greens, with tight camera angles or letting the light in, each scene had the feel of a well thought out canvas, even the cut aways between scenes were new, inventive and beautiful. And the acting is great and the scenes of the family interacting in close quarters, moving in synch are so pitch perfect you feel they have been doing this for decades. So if you're thinking of seeing this movie, sit back, relax, and prepare to be taken on a slow, masterful ride.

It's not entertainment but...this is an extraordinary piece of work. I went to see Alexander on a Wednesday night and Vera Drake the night after and what a contrast! A story that means something, characters that feel rough and real in your hands like worn stones in an old pathway, and above all film making with a purpose with no effort to dazzle just inform. It's not perfect, but this is the kind of imperfection all of us in Hollywood should strive for. A word about the art direction too. I remember the 50's in England and yes it was just like that - I remember my parents kitchen being that dismal and green, and yes English people and English families can be that incommunicative, and yes they sat in front of the fire and talked about the war and the Blitz and yes we would sit in the parlour on Christmas day and eat off a table just like that. There. I've shared secrets with you. Now go and see this and keep crap like Alexander off the screens.

The key for understanding the character of Vera Drake is "dear". Vera is one of the kindest souls one will ever see in pictures in a long, long time. Vera Drake is a woman who will go out of her way to be of use to anyone that needs her. In fact, one's initial reaction to Mrs. Drake's activities is one of complete disbelief. Mike Leigh has created a film that, although not easy to sit through, is one of the finest movies that have come out of the English cinema in a long time. This director keeps getting better with every new film. The subject of the film is something that has been at the heart of the recent elections in the USA. With the new climate in this country it's easy to see that situations like the ones we see in the story, could well be the norm here in a not too distant future. The main, and perhaps the only, reason for watching this extraordinary film is the portrayal of Vera by that wonderful actress, Imelda Staunton. Her Vera is an example a person who can't say no to anyone in need. There is a scene when Vera is first confronted by the police during a dinner at her house where we see her face as charges are hurled at her, then little by little, Ms. Staunton breaks down in what is one of the great moments in acting by any actress in living memory. One can see her eyes fill with tears because it suddenly dawns on Vera the immensity of what she has done. The action takes place in 1950 in a London still ravaged by the effect of WWII. The film recreates the era with great details. Vera's flat is so tiny, one wonders how can four grown up people live in such cramped quarters. Even though they are poor, the Drake household is happy, as they all live together without apparently getting on each other's nerves. Both children, Ethel and Sid are well behaved; they both love their parents. Stan and Vera love one another in a subdued, but caring way. Is it possible that Vera could be the monster she is accused of being? The film also makes a point of the contrast between the humble way in which the Drakes live and the rich houses where Vera goes to work every day. Vera's home is tiny and the others are so well appointed, it is only natural to assume that Vera will bear a resentment toward her employers, but on the contrary, she is a dignified woman who makes do with her meager wages. There is also the irony about how Susan Wells, the daughter of one of Vera's employers, goes through the same thing that the other girls that Vera "helps", and everything is done in a civilized way. Mr. Leigh shows us in this case how things are different because Susan is able to buy a solution to her problem and deal with it safely. The ensemble cast is marvelous. Imelda Staunton dominates the movie. We can't take our eyes away from the dowdy and plain woman we see on the screen. Phil Davis as Stan, Vera's husband, is excellent. Alex Kelly plays the mousy daughter Ethel, who never utters a word; this actress makes her real. Daniel Mays is Sid, the son who can't understand what his mother has done. Eddie Marsan as Reg, makes his character believable. The film is a triumph for Mike Leigh.

source: Vera Drake

Trailer—Vera Drake