Vera Drake

Mike Leigh’s acclaimed story of a selfless woman who performs unlawful abortions in 1950s Britain; both an affecting drama and vital social history.

Mike Leigh’s acclaimed story of a selfless woman who helps ladies with unwanted pregnancies – in 1950s Britain when abortion was illegal – is both an affecting drama and vital slice of social history.

Imelda Staunton won a Bafta and a top prize at Venice Film Festival for her astonishing performance as the fearless title character, who strives to help troubled women at the expense of her own family harmony. Writer-director Leigh expertly sidesteps the story’s obvious political and religious inferences to focus on human emotions, conveyed in his famously up-close and naturalistic style.