reviewVERADRAKE

Mike Leigh's carefully constructed "Vera Drake," the tale of an elderly abortionist in the 1950s, isn't
concerned with taking a pro-life or pro-choice stance. It's simply the story of how one woman's
actions begin an unraveling of her family and her carefully simple existence.

Undoubtedly at its core the picture is all about the title character, and veteran British actress Imelda
Staunton knocks the role out of the park. She's alternately comforting and devastating, whistling
her way through excrutiating procedures while maintaining a humdrum countenance of maternal
stasis. The woman truly believes she's just "helping girls out," and keeps her actions clandestine
until the very end. Perfectly, Staunton conveys these seeming contradictions with just the right
amount of compassion, never turning maudlin along the way.

What's equally remarkable about the film is its rigid, and wonderful, attention to detail. Leigh paints
a vivid portait of post-war London, all working class kitchens, delicate expressions of love, and the
bustle of blue-collar life. Every conversation fumes with the reality of the era, no doubt due to the
director's legendary (and lengthy) rehearsals. In the best sense, "Vera Drake" feels lived in.

As the film progresses, and the fate of our heroine becomes clear, Leigh neatly takes us along the
ride of a well-to-do young woman able to pay her way through a more sanitary abortion. The
metaphor is clear, as it is for all manners of social inequality: It's condoned if you can afford it,
prosecuted if you can't.

"Vera Drake" is a sturdy production, perhaps too overwrought near the end, but still a captivating
showcase of engaging storytelling and colorful performances. It's hard to make a "message
picture" without shoving the message down the audience's throat, but it seems that Leigh has done
just that.