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Vera Drake

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Vera Drake

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• Drama
• Crime/detective

• 2004
• Mike Leigh
• 119 mins
• 12A

Summary

Period drama from director Mike Leigh and starring Imelda Staunton. England, the 1950s: Vera Drake is a respected working-class housewife devoted to the care of her husband and two children. But when it is revealed that she has been performing illegal abortions for women with unwanted pregnancies and the police arrive at the door, Vera's whole world begins to collapse.

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IMDB

Review

A star rating of 4 out of 5.

Dave Aldridge

Set in the repressed and repressive Britain of 1950, director Mike Leigh's drama hinges on a stunning, Bafta-winning lead performance from Imelda Staunton. She plays an altruistic but naive cleaning lady who secretly helps out unfortunate girls by performing backstreet abortions. But when her actions are discovered, the law - and, at first, her own family - reprimands her severely. Staunton is nothing less than superb, conveying a world of misery with the merest of looks. Equally fine are the support performances (especially Phil Davis as her husband, Stan), plus Leigh's impeccable re-creation of both place and period. If there's one small criticism to be made of the film, it's perhaps a touch too relentlessly dark and dour. Otherwise, this is as good, if as grim, as it gets.

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7.6/10

How to watch

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Streaming

• Netflix
• Sky Store

Credits

Cast

rolenameVera DrakeImelda StauntonStan DrakePhilip DavisDet Inspector WebsterPeter WightFrankAdrian ScarboroughJoyceHeather CraneySid DrakeDaniel MaysEthel DrakeAlex KellySusan WellsSally HawkinsRegEddie MarsanLilyRuth SheenWPC BestHelen CokerSusan's confidanteFenella WoolgarMrs WellsLesley ManvilleJessie BarnesLesley SharpJudgeJim BroadbentPrivate doctorNicky HensonPsychiatristAllan Corduner

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Crew

rolenameDirectorMike Leigh

Details

Theatrical distributor

Momentum Pictures

Released on

2005-01-07

Languages

English

Guidance

Some swearing.

Available on

video and DVD

Formats

Colour

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