Review of Vera Drake (2004) by Alison O — 01 Sep 2005

Best in Show: Imelda Staunton.

One for the future: Imelda Staunton.

Stand-out scene: Arrival of police during party.

Brainer or no-brainer: Brainer.

Stands up to one viewing or repeated?: Repeated.

DVD commentary any good?: n/a.

DVD.

Part of Kenneth Branagh's luvvie set, Imelda Staunton's been sidelined to supporting roles for much of her career; Gwynnie's lady-in-waiting in Shakespeare in Love being the sort of role she was being offered prior to the release of this movie. With awards and nominations coming out of her ears for the title role here, let's hope that she becomes Judi Dench's lady-in-waiting; in that the semi-twilight years of her career turn out to be as similarly productive as that grand Dame. Mike Leigh is a director whose projects are never less than enthralling and in this tale of a back street abortionist his unobtrusive directions and improvised script development are part of the alchemy that has turned this into a solid gold movie. With cast members following the usual Leigh route of only knowing their own character's story and improvising the story as they go, there's a realism to the action that few directors manage to elicit from their cast. Filmed on such a tight budget that a week's filming had to be cancelled when funds ran out, this is a magnificent achievement in filmmaking and a credit to all involved from crew right through to the film editor who has pieced together such a moving and throught-provoking (as opposed to schmalzy and forgettable) story. Staunton doesn't take all the acting plaudits however, Phil Davis excels her appropriately buttoned-down hubbie and it's a shame that his performance didn't receive an equal amount of attention from the award-givers. Superb and proof that there is life in the British film industry. More power to you, Mr Leigh!