Vera Drake

"Wife. Mother. Criminal."

2004 2h 5m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 426

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Abortionist Vera Drake finds her beliefs and practices clash with the mores of 1950s Britain – a conflict that leads to tragedy for her family.

“Wife. Mother. Criminal.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Imelda Staunton
Vera Drake
Phil Davis
Stan
Sally Hawkins
Susan Wells
Daniel Mays
Sid
Eddie Marsan
Reg
Alex Kelly
Ethel
Ruth Sheen
Lily
Adrian Scarborough
Frank

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Mike Leigh
Writers: Mike Leigh
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, France

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Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 22 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, France.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Mike Leigh, shot by Dick Pope. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Andrew Dickson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jim Clark shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Imelda Staunton and Phil Davis and Sally Hawkins carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Wife. Mother. Criminal.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0383694 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Mike Leigh directs. Dick Pope behind the camera. Andrew Dickson scores. Jim Clark cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United Kingdom, France. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 22 years ago.
2International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, France.
3Directed by Mike Leigh, shot by Dick Pope. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Andrew Dickson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Jim Clark shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Imelda Staunton and Phil Davis and Sally Hawkins carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Wife. Mother. Criminal.".
8IMDB entry: tt0383694 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 12 themes, including "police", "england", "pregnancy", "mother role".

The technical file

Cinematography: Dick Pope
Original score: Andrew Dickson
Editing: Jim Clark
Production design: Eve Stewart
Costume design: Jacqueline Durran
Makeup / hair: Lesa Warrener
Sound: Chris Burdon
Runtime: 125 min · 2h 5m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $11,000,000
Box office: $13,300,000
Return: 121% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Vera Drake (2004)

Awards

European Film Award for Best Actress
Golden Lion
National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Mike Leigh

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-03-28
★ 7/10
Imelda Staunton is great here as the middle-aged wife, merrily living her family life with husband "Stan" (Phil Davis) and her two grown up children and their partners. She is well respected by her peers and seems to be the epitome of the hardworking 1950s British housewife. Until, that is - a policeman arrives at her door and her world starts to cave in. Now we know from fairly early on that "Vera" likes to help girls out. To be fair - there are plenty of them who are eligible. Raising a family when rationing was still around, jobs thin on the ground and their men folks usually keen to run a mile (if they even knew/or cared) was a daunting prospect to many a young woman, bereft of familial or state support. She didn't take cash for her carbolic and syringe services, she just thinks she is doing the best for all concerned. Needless to say the morals of the time did not necessarily concur, the law certainly didn't - and so we are faced with a rather well presented and written analysis of the antiquated and illiberal situation in which many women found themselves. The film doesn't attempt to moralise - it allows each of us to observe her activities and to evaluate - almost on a case by case basis - the relative merits of her interventions and I think that is particularly effective when stimulating the debate that this film is bound to create. The supporting cast including a career defining contribution from Daniel Mays as her conflicted son "Sid", Eddie Marsan and Heather Craney allow the story to spread out covering not just the actions of "Vera" but also of the complicity - sympathetically and/or venally motivated - by those in the medical profession and those in the community who had less scruples in monetising the misfortune of others. Above all, this is thought provoking - there is no simple answer to what's going on here, and for that Staunton (and Mike Leigh) are to be commended. It's not for the fainted-hearted, but the most poignant of films never are.

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