March 17, 2005
'Vera Drake' joins abortion debate
By Chris Honoré
Tidings Reviewer
Over the past 50 years there has been no more emotionally charged or divisive issue than abortion, dominating our national discourse, a lodestone of controversy involving profoundly complex judgments such as: What is the value of each human being, and when is life life and when is it not? So difficult is this debate, so very personal and so very abstract, that the courts concluded that the only posture deemed viable was to say, simply, that it should be up to each woman to choose, to come to her own decision, a decision that should not be left in the hands of either the state or the church.
"Vera Drake" inserts itself into the dialogue over abortion while demonstrating the power of film to create both a visual and narrative drama that is provocative in its simplicity. But this movie isn't just about abortion, it's about a woman who is completely without guile, who acts from motives purely and without reflection. It proves to be, for Vera and her family, a lethal combination.
At the center of this extraordinary movie is Vera Drake (Imelda Staunton), a kindhearted wife and mother, living in the postwar London of 1950. Though the look of the film is noir, a mix of browns and shades of gray, Vera is all but radiant. She cleans the homes of the more affluent, cares for an ailing mother, and is the center of gravity for her family. She is loving to a fault. And when all else fails, Vera puts on the kettle and brews up a cup of tea.
The only caveat in her life-affirming nature is that she also puts on the kettle and prepares a basin of warm water mixed with lye soap, and for those girls who find themselves in trouble offers them a way out. As quietly as tucking a warm blanket around her ill mother, or fixing up a nice meal for her son and daughter, she assists a young woman in aborting an early fetus. And she does this without hesitation or even trepidation, believing that what she is about will set things right once again, though the women she helps are often in personal agony, some deeply ambivalent about what it is they are about to do. And not just because they fear that there is physical risk.
London during the early 1950s, when it came to abortion, was many shades of gray. Women of means could avail themselves of the medical profession to have an abortion, for a price. One that was all too often out of reach for working-class women. Like most of Europe, England was exhausted by a devastating war. Most people were struggling to recover, emotionally and financially. At the time, the gap between those who could avail themselves of an abortion and those who couldn't had not been closed. And so, for a fraction of the cost, women such as Vera performed what were considered by the state to be illegal abortions (actually, Vera never asked for remuneration). Illegal for good reasons, since they were performed by untrained people in circumstances that were less than antiseptic.
To watch "Vera Drake," is to see a consummate actress at work. Imelda Staunton is brilliant and it is clear why she was nominated for an Academy Award for best lead actress. She not only transforms herself for the role, but transforms herself throughout the course of the film. Her spirit at the outset is luminescent. She glows. And then gradually, as she faces the consequences of her acts, her light begins to slowly fade, her face a portrait of agony. Staunton's performance, supported by a marvelous cast, is remarkable for its range and depth.
"Vera Drake" is exceptional in so many ways -- timeless and quietly profound. To the filmmakers credit, the narrative never becomes preachy, and Vera is never portrayed as righteous. She is as deeply flawed as was the then inequitable policy regarding abortions. This is a film of great honesty and complexity and one not to be missed.
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