| The
Review: |
Half-way into Mike Leigh's film
about Vera Drake the Detective Inspector Webster (Peter Wight)
makes the statement, "I'm just trying to get to the bottom
of things." However, the bottom of things has been presented
in the hour before Detective Inspector Webster makes his statement,
as the audience is visually presented with the socioeconomic
and the patriarchal standards of the early 1950’s British
society in which Vera Drake (Imelda Staunton) exists. It is
obvious through Mike Leigh's visual presentation that women
of the working class cannot afford proper medical treatment
to terminate a pregnancy in a "proper" manner. Thus, women
of the working class that have been impregnated for whatever
reason, but cannot bear the child due to poverty, social shame,
or other reason are forced to seek help from women such as
Vera Drake. ***
To be of service to others Vera
Drake brings the joyous mood that seems to surround her wherever
she wanders. If she is not cooking and cleaning at her own
home she seeks to help others. She tends to handicapped and
depressed neighbors, nurtures her aging mother, cleans in
upper-class homes, invites lonely men to her family's dinner
table, and she performs abortions free of charge to young
women in need. Many think of her as the perfect wife who does
everything with pleasure while curing the tinier predicaments
in other peoples lives by implementing her most famous words,
"I'll put a kettle on." In essence, Vera seems to be an earthly
angel that was brought to earth to make life a little better
for those in need while she calls all “dear”. ***
Abortion is the controversial element
of the story, as Vera innocently moves about to perform these
terminations of the pregnancies. Vera's method to perform
the abortions is equally innocent, as she merely uses a syringe
to fill the uterus with soapy water and a couple of days later
the woman have a miscarriage. Her clients always seem to be
a little cautious after this short and painless procedure
to which she calms them down by saying that after a day or
two they will have some pain down below and after that everything
will be ok, as she hurries to find someone else to help. The
abortions are only a small part of her life, yet she is strongly
aware of society’s notions and laws against it. ***
Next to the story of Vera there
is a smaller side story about Susan (Sally Hawkins), an innocent
young upper-class girl, that ends up in a terrible situation
after a male has not acknowledged her crying refusal of his
nearness. Susan's problems stir up strong emotional dilemma,
a reflection of how many women might be experience the difficulty
of the situation in which they were positioned. Yet, this
story provides a mirror into the world where money is not
the object that prevents proper care and treatment. The only
connection Susan has with Vera is that she is the family's
maid who comes and cleans the house on a scheduled basis.
***
Despite the magnitude of abortion
in the film the story is focused on Vera Drake and her persona.
Selflessly and emotionally torn, she cooperates with Detective
Inspector Webster, as he is getting to the bottom of things
by following the 100-year old law that Vera broke, which was
generated in 1861 by a large group of men without consideration
for the women in society. In shame, Vera admits to her wrongdoings,
yet she believes she was only of help to those who needed
her help. It is emotionally painful to see Vera's constant
smile wither away when the police visit her home, as it is
to see her weep to the charges brought to her. It is no surprise
to see that Imelda Staunton was nominated for an Oscar in
the Best Actress category and that she has won several other
awards for this performance. ***
Mike Leigh has directed several
brilliant films such as Abigail's Party (1977), Naked (1993),
Secrets & Lies (1996), and Topsy-Turvy (1999). Each time Leigh
succeeds in bringing a new issue into light through a new
perspective, and in Vera Drake he does it again. This time
he does it in a subtle manner that does not assault the mind
like many other films do in the contemporary cinematic world.
Instead Leigh employs delicate finesse in his way of presenting
the story, as he does not force any ideas or notions upon
the audience. This presents Leigh's awareness of the audience’s
own intelligence while he lets the audience make their own
decisions in regards to their opinions. Ultimately, Leigh
provides a truly brilliant cinematic experience to the audience
where the audience is left to their own device to form and
contemplate upon their own notions in regards to Vera. ***
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| Image
and Sound: |
Dark and grainy images will strike
the audience’s retina as they view this DVD, however, this
is due to the film stock and little light that was used while
shooting the film. The film is presented in an anamorphic
widescreen with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, which is in very
good quality. Slight edge enhancement was noticed in the beginning
of the film, but this will not deter the audience from fully
experiencing this film. ***
Vera Drake will not test the sound system for those with
big, expensive, and top-end receivers. However, it comes with
a solid 5.1 DTS track that elevates film experience and presents
limited and accessible sound in the small rooms of the film.
There are also Dolby Digital 5.1 and a 2.0 stereo surround
sounds. *** ---
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