FILM-FORWARD.COMReviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
VERA DRAKE
In fog-shrouded London, the indefatigable and chipper Vera Drake (Imelda Staunton)
greets everyone she meets in her East End neighborhood. She goes
about offering tea and sympathy, first to a shut-in, then to lonely bachelor Reg (Eddie
Marsan). But among her acts of mercy is to matter-of-factly help out women in trouble
with the aid of soapy water and a pump. Her clientele runs the gamut from a frightened
teenager to a blasé socialite who sips a cocktail during the procedure. Director and
writer Mike Leigh (Topsy-Turvy) briskly depicts the stratum of 1950s London,
enriched by great period details: rationing, Vera's recollections of the recent blitz, and
the New Look fashion. It is rare for any film's exposition to be this compelling. In doing
so, Leigh offers his customary sharp commentary of the British class system. While
Vera, a domestic, expects no money for her clandestine house calls, the intermediary,
black-marketing Lily (Ruth Sheen), collects two guineas a piece from the women
(unbeknownst to Vera).
Just when Vera seems more of an idea rather than a character, she pays a call to a
bewildered black immigrant who is even more frightened after her abortion. She's hardly
reassured by Vera's rote advice of, "What you need right now is a nice cup of tea."
Shattering her saintly image, Vera abruptly leaves the woman alone and terrified.
Adding to Vera's complexity is the tacit assumption that Vera, more concerned for the
welfare of others, has neglected her own daughter, Ethel, who makes Laura of The
Glass Menagerie seem like an extrovert. Because Leigh creates many vignettes
featuring women of various backgrounds and needs, the film is well-rounded,
thought-provoking and ultimately nonjudgmental regarding the abortion issue. And by
delaying the inevitable, Leigh maximizes the suspense before a celebratory dinner at
Vera's home and a police investigation collide. The film becomes less about abortion
and more about the impact of Vera's secret on her family.
Imelda Staunton brings as much color to the role as is written.
Unfortunately, the direction of the large cast is uneven. Alex Kelly, as Ethel, assumes
one physical position and maintains it throughout the film - head down, shoulders
hunched over. A brief scene where Ethel and Reg walk catatonically through the park,
out on a date, comes across as unintentionally humorous. Vera's sister-in-law, the
materialistic platinum-blond Joyce (Heather Craney), is a caricature, but also the
unexpected voice of reason. Being an obvious object of ridicule, her observation will
probably go unnoticed. In fact, any woman here who is upwardly mobile or well-to-do is
performed like a second-rate Noel Coward sophisticate (chin up, deigning to look
anyone in eye, cigarette in hand). And yet even as the last act is weighed down by
pathos (there are far too many close-ups of Vera tearing up), the strong story and
empathetic characters undeniably maintain interest. Kent Turner
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