Despite classy acting and Mike Leigh's trademark direction, this is a big disappointment.Vera Drake, the back-street abortionist with a heart of gold (24 carat) is literally 'too good to be true'.Once we know her little secret, the plot is utterly predictable and brings no surprises -'it's the rich what gets the pleasure, it's the poor what gets the blame' etc. Not exactly a novel theme. Worse still, abortion as a moral/political issue is never confronted. So this is more a critique of the British class system than an exploration of the abortion question. Even then, there is a whiff of the stereotype - the settings and costumes look to be precisely that. By setting the story in the early 1950s, Leigh weakens its critical impact further. A shame that he could not bring himself to deal with the 21st century. As it is, we are encouraged to see everything as 'historical' - but what about today's problems and concerns? Unfortunately,our belief in the character of Vera Drake is severely tested when Imelda Staunton appears in a pinny - comparison with Julie Walters depiction of Mrs Overall is irresistible! And there is only so much silent emoting, by both Vera and the upper-class girl, that the audience can take. Vera presents herself to the forces of law (where Jim Broadbent is badly mis-cast as a judge) as a passive victim who does not even have the spunk to speak out in her own defence. This invites neither sympathy nor pity so much as contempt. The general impression is that Mike Leigh has lost his way and is going round in circles.
Review of Vera Drake
