November 09, 2004
Vera Drake
This review contains spoilers only if you haven't seen the trailers.
I went into Vera Drake expecting two things: 1) a Mike Leigh film that I would enjoy because if its story/direction/characters/acting 2) An emotional persuasive piece arguing for a pro-abortion cause. What I was right about was number 1. Number 2 is actually debatable.
The movie acts mostly as a record, or a snapshot, of a time in the Drake family's life. It opens by introducing us to each character, the close relationship of the family, and the happiness that the family is realizing in new additions to their small group. Vera and her husband love each other greatly and are very thankful for each other.
It moves on to show what Vera does for a living. She's a maid. Through her job we are introduced to a young and wealthy girl's story of rape and the easy way in which she can get an abortion. Then we see the contrast by watching what Vera does in her efforts to "help" more unfortunate girls. She does home-made "inducing of miscarriages."
Throughout the movie, I never felt like it was pushy. I mean, obviously, by watching the contrast between the rich and poor girls, there was a sense that Vera was only trying to help; and when she was arrested, there was a sense of sympathy I felt for her. But I mostly felt sorry for her because of her family - not because I thought what she did was right.
I liked how not everyone in the family agreed with what she did. And most of the emotion I felt and sadness I experienced was for her husband. It was heart wrenching to watch him discover what his wife had been doing; he still loved her and wanted to support her, but obviously did not approve of what she did.
It's hard for me to honestly say how the movie portrayed its views, because I obviously wasn't sympathetic to abortion, so my view of the film may be slighted - I most likely responded to it differently than a pro-abortion audience member would. But I really did leave feeling like Vera Drake showed the story of a woman who meant to do good but made some grievous mistakes, and her mistakes affected her family as a result. It didn't feel like an argument for abortion, but rather a story about a family and this moment in their lives.
I loved the directing and acting of the movie, and liked getting to know the characters. I would recommend it for the patient viewer - one who can deal with the abortion aspect of the film, and more importantly, one who can deal with a VERY quiet and slowly paced movie (several people left the theatre I was at).