SnoopyStyle Vera Drake (Imelda Staunton) is a kind helpful mother and wife to a working-class family. She invites Reg (Eddie Marsan) for dinner and sets him up with daughter Ethel (Alex Kelly). Reg served in the war as well as her husband (Phil Davis) and son (Daniel Mays). She helps the local women with abortions. Unbeknownst to her, black marketeer Lily (Ruth Sheen) charges those women. In a parallel story, Vera also cleans the house of a government minister. The shy daughter Susan (Sally Hawkins) is raped during a date. She is desperate to get rid of her pregnancy and her friend directs her to a higher cost abortion where a psychiatrist uses her aunt's suicide as grounds to terminate.Mike Leigh delivers a movie full of humanity. Imelda Staunton is simply brilliant. I would have liked Susan's story to be more connected with Vera. Obviously, Leigh is making a point about the state of abortion for the different classes but it's not quite clear enough. Overall, Staunton overwhelms this movie with her humanity and kindness.

Python Hyena Vera Drake (2004): Dir: Mike Leigh / Cast: Imelda Staunton, Phil Davis, Daniel Mays, Alex Kelly, Sally Hawkins: Powerful yet depressing look at the life of a woman who did wrong in hopes of doing right. Set in 1950 Vera is a wife and mother who cleans upper class houses but she secretly assists women with unwanted pregnancies by performing abortions for free. Director Mike Leigh has already established himself as one of the industry's hottest players with such acclaim films as Topsy-Turvy and Secrets and Lies yet he branches out with a tough issue that isn't guaranteeing a pleasant ending. Even the production captures the time period for which Leigh was seeking in order to render effect. Vera is played by Imelda Staunton as pleasant and full of cheer and compassion. We sympathize with her because she believes what she is doing is harmless. Phil Davis plays her husband whom is oblivious to her private operations yet supportive when her world rapidly caves in. Daniel Mays plays her son, a tailor whom is unable to bring himself to forgive his mother's secret operations. Alex Kelly as her daughter works at a light factory. Sally Hawkins plays a rape victim who seeks out Drake's talent. Abortions are a controversial subject and one wonders whether justice was dealt with here or was the good Samaritan the victim of her own compassion. Score: 8 / 10

Red_Identity I've only seen a few Mike Leigh films, and have pretty much liked all of them (his last recent four, and I've liked them more and more with each newer film). So ranking his last four, this is my least favorite of his. It's probably his bleakest in terms of pure melodrama. Like in his other films, a big reason this works is because of Imelda Staunton. She does some powerful work here, although at times she plays things a little too slight. Overall, it's a very good performance, great even, but sort of disappointing after all of the hype and acclaim. overall, this is very much recommended, even if it doesn't build itself as coherently as I would've wanted. Still worth a watch.

urkus This movie really touch my heart, like most of Mike Leigh. When I started to watch it, I though that it was based on true events that took place somewhere in England. But when the film was ended I realized that it was entirely written by LEIGH! Once again, I'm surprised by the realistic way of his cinema. And I have to say that I've watched entirely all his filmography.The performances are great; Imelda STAUNTON is really impressive, She is so charming, but in the other side you begin to fell that something in this woman is wrong, she couldn't be so nice. At the end you realize that Vera is a poor woman victim of the ignorance.The rest of the cast is simply magnificent: the faces (notice the similarity between the roles of Vera and her daughter - a great cast achievement -), the acting and the tempo are superb.What else can I say about the screenplay, which is written in a perfect way that helped by a fluid editing, gives you 2 hours of entertaining (not very common in those type of motion pictures). Art direction and make up are very good.All the characters and the universe created by LEIGH is so realistic and attractive, that brings you inside the movie and makes you forget about your life for 2 hours. He is the greatest English director of "social cinema" and one of the greatest directors of world cinema.Don't miss it!