Our take
Mike Leigh’s forthright and compassionate depiction of working-class life extends to his period pieces as well. Imelda Staunton is remarkable as Vera Drake, a housekeeper in 1950’s London who quietly performs abortions on the side.
Leigh’s vigilant portrayal of class highlights the stark divide between abortion access for the poor and what is offered to the rich. The storytelling is simple and straightforward, he doesn’t over-sentimentalize or grandstand, but merely depicts conditions as they were. Meanwhile, Staunton’s Vera oozes so much fullness, warmth, and empathy, that the heartbreak that follows is mercilessly palpable.
What it won
Oscars
3 noms
Venice
2 wins
Golden Globes
1 nom
BAFTA
3 wins · 8 noms
SAG Awards
1 nom
Nat. Board of Review
1 win
NYFCC
1 win
LAFCA
1 win
European Film Awards
1 win · 1 nom
The story
Abortionist Vera Drake finds her beliefs and practices clash with the mores of 1950s Britain – a conflict that leads to tragedy for her family.
Elsewhere
"The movie is all of a piece, and its discipline is part of its meaning."
— David Denby
The details
"The heroine of Mike Leigh's wonderfully subtle and relentlessly harrowing new film is a cheerful, compactly built middle-aged woman who spends her waking hours in perpetual motion."
— Amy Taubin