Vera Drake (2004)

Vera Drake

Call No: PN1997.2 .V47 2005

When I first came to the university three years ago, I remember looking through the DVDs and picking up this film. The description on the back sounded interesting enough and I’ve enjoyed Imelda Staunton in the smaller roles that I’ve seen her in. Somehow, I never got around to it. Finally, I pulled it from the library this week, cut some time out of my schedule, and watched it. Its heartfelt narrative combined with its content makes it a film to watch (but may impact women more strongly than men).

Vera Drake is a loving and devoted wife, mother and friend. She will do anything for anybody without thanks or praise. She is completely selfless and spends every waking moment either working her job cleaning houses or doing something for someone else out of the goodness of her heart. Sometimes these selfless acts include secretly helping unfortunate women who have gotten “into trouble” and are now pregnant. Vera Drake calmly helps them find the way out. But when a police investigation brings Vera’s world crashing down and her secrets are revealed, will she have anywhere to turn? Or have her secrets destroyed all of the good she’s ever done?

I have to start by saying that Imelda Staunton is beyond brilliant. One of the entertaining aspects about British films is that once you’re in the business, no matter what film, they always seem to find a spot for you. As a fan of British film and television, I recognized more than half of the cast from other roles that they’ve done. Unlike American actors, Brits don’t seem to care how small a role is – if there’s a spot that needs filling, they’ll take it. That’s how I’d always been familiar with Imelda Staunton. Known to most (unfortunately) as Professor Umbridge, Staunton has been a staple in film and television for years. I had always known her for her quirky and heartfelt bit roles, often playing a loveable busybody. In this film, Staunton more than handles herself as a lead, and successfully makes Vera Drake a breathing, living person. Vera Drake is far from being a saint, but nor is she a dangerous sinner. Staunton makes her human, able to feel pleasure and pain, happiness and fear. Staunton makes her sympathetic without making her innocent, which is a hard line to toe without crossing over.

Staunton is brilliant as the bubbly, loving and completely selfless Vera Drake.

I’m hesitant to say that this film would be better suited for women than men, but because of the content, I do lean that way. While I refrain from my own opinion about abortion in this review, the issue itself does carry more weight with women than men. What I liked about the film is that you have an entire spectrum of opinions about the topic, with all of the characters expressing multiple opinions and handling it in different ways. The film never says “This is how you should feel about this issue”, nor does it condone anything. It presents everything before you and lets you react accordingly. I was very impressed with how it was handled, especially considering how it managed to tackle such a controversial issue, maintain viewpoints and not present religion or its opinions on the subject anywhere in the film.

If you’re looking to start a classroom discussion on the topic, this film is a great starting point. If you decide to watch the film, I recommend two things. One is pay attention to the authorities, their language and their words and whether or not it changes as the film progresses. Second is to pay attention to the chocolate box scene at the end of the film. You don’t need to have any film study courses under your belt to appreciate what the writers and actors do, and how the issue is handled with those scenes in particular.