Film Reviews

Vera Drake

• Rating:
• Director: Mike Leigh.
• Starring: Imelda Staunton, Phil Davis, Peter Wight, Daniel Mays, Alex Kelly, Eddie Marsan, Adrian Scarborough, Heather Craney, Sally Hawkins.
• Details: UK/ 125 mins/ (15A).

If there's any justice in the world, Imelda Staunton should be a shoo-in for the best actress Oscar in a couple of months, thanks to her sterling work in Mike Leigh's kitchen-sink drama, Vera Drake. Set in 1950s London, Staunton plays our title character, a kindly family woman who does a sideline in back street abortions. Vera's not the kind of woman who undertakes such deeds for material gain though - she's simply a decent soul who wants to help women who've been less fortunate than her. This all sounds well and good in theory, but not everyone is quite so willing to view Vera as a woman making the ultimate sacrifice to help others. As anyone familiar with his work may guess, Leigh's affinity for his put-upon yet wholly decent working class central character is never in much doubt. But while his stance on the protagonist never may be in much in doubt, the director handles the prickly subject matter with subtlety, clouding her undeniably brutal actions with a deep-rooted sense of tenderness and humanity. It's within this high wire balancing morality act that the impeccable Staunton excels, providing a show stopping performance that deserves wide recognition. You may not agree with what happens in, or to, Vera Drake, but it's impossible not to be moved.

Review by Garreth Murphy