“Secrets are how we live our lives.”
– Mike Leigh
It seems almost redundant to say this but Mike Leigh has once again created an amazing film. Its called Vera Drake and it takes place in 1950s London. Vera lives in a small flat with her husband Stan, and their grown-up son and daughter, Sid and Ethel. The family is not rich, but their combined incomes make for a reasonable life. Vera is a cleaner, Stan a mechanic in his brother’s Frank’s garage, and Ethel works in a light-bulb factory. Sid is an apprentice tailor. The Drakes have something money can’t buy; they are a genuinely happy family.
Unbeknownst to the rest of the family Vera performs abortions, and when the police finally track her down after one of her patients goes to the hospital it has major ramifications.
As Vera Drake, Imelda Staunton gives one of the most powerful performances of the year that is sure to be noticed around Oscar time. Mike Leigh begins creating his films almost a year before they start rolling any film. He works with his actors by giving them their characters and they create the scenes in rehearsal with improvisation.
