Review of Vera Drake (2004) by Maria V — 03 Sep 2010

Set during the early 50's of England, a loving, devoted mother selflessly takes it upon herself to help under privileged women to illegally abort there unwanted babies. Unfortunately, one young lady becomes so ill after her operation she nearly dies, which in turn awakens the authorities to Vera's antics. The aftermath of this sees Vera's world and family torn apart.

An extremely moving and touching tale of such a hard hitting subject. What these poor women of that era had to go through was heartbreaking. A powerful yet emotional drama by Director Mike Leigh had me sobbing uncontrollably throughout. That being said there were instances of humour which also brought a smile to my face.

Imelda Staunton portrayed this character with such perfection it was no surprise she was nominated for an Oscar for this performance.