---
title: "Vera Drake"
year: 2004
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/vera-drake"
fi1m_id: "vera-drake"
imdb_id: "tt0383694"
tmdb_id: 11109
wikidata_id: "Q916645"
fi1m_score: 84
critics_score: 78
critics_reviews: 6
published: "2026-09-15"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:37:54.594978+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Vera Drake (2004)

Directed by Mike Leigh · 2h 05m · MPA R · Drama

## Identity

Vera Drake

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/vera-drake
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** vera-drake
- **IMDb ID:** tt0383694
- **TMDB ID:** 11109
- **Wikidata ID:** Q916645
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0383694/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/11109, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q916645

**Fi1m score: 84** · Critics 78 from 6 reviews

*In a sentence:* Imelda Staunton makes being helpful look like the hardest job in London

> Imelda Staunton gives Mike Leigh’s abortion drama its force, making a cleaner’s constant care for others deeply affecting. Leigh is too protective of Vera’s goodness, but the patient family scenes earn our recommendation.

## Synopsis

In 1950s London, Vera Drake (Imelda Staunton) works as a cleaner and spends her days looking after other people. Alongside her working-class family life, she helps women end unwanted pregnancies, carrying out abortions outside the law. She sees this work as another way of caring for someone who needs her, in a society where money and class affect the choices women can make. Written and directed by Mike Leigh, the drama follows Vera’s everyday routines and the people around her. Phil Davis plays Stan, Daniel Mays plays Sid and Alex Kelly plays Ethel.

## Review

Mike Leigh’s *Vera Drake* is a compassionate, troubling drama that earns our recommendation through Imelda Staunton’s performance. Set in working-class London in the 1950s, it treats illegal abortion as part of a woman’s daily business of helping people. Leigh spends time establishing that daily life, so the family matters before the subject begins to dominate our attention. He is sometimes too determined to protect Vera from criticism, but the family scenes are convincing enough to keep us involved.

Staunton’s Vera is a cleaner whose impulse to look after others seems almost continuous. There is energy in the performance, and a practical concentration on whatever needs doing next. We believe that this woman has things to get on with; we also believe that she gives little thought to how she might explain herself. Her cheerfulness has the briskness of somebody with more jobs waiting, and Staunton never makes us feel that we are being asked to thank her.

Phil Davis, playing Stan, is especially valuable in the family scenes: his restrained performance works well beside Staunton’s busier one. Daniel Mays as Sid and Alex Kelly as Ethel help the household feel inhabited by people with their own ways of speaking and listening. Leigh takes their domestic happiness seriously, and the ensemble makes that happiness plausible. The care with which they listen to one another matters as much as the dialogue.

Dick Pope’s photography and Eve Stewart’s production design make the class differences visible in the rooms people occupy. The period detail feels lived with, and the contrast between households does useful work without requiring a speech about inequality. Pope keeps our attention on the people within those spaces, which prevents Stewart’s recreation from becoming an attraction in itself. Jim Clark’s editing allows the family scenes to establish their rhythms before pressing the drama forward. Andrew Dickson’s music underlines the sorrow a little too dutifully for our taste; Staunton and Davis have already given us ample reason to feel it.

We were distressed by the matter-of-fact way Leigh presents the abortion procedures. The lack of melodramatic staging leaves us thinking about the women’s vulnerability, and about how much Vera’s assurance asks them to trust her. Her willingness to help is moving, but it cannot settle every question about what she does. Leigh is strongest when we can feel that uncertainty alongside the unequal choices available to women of different classes.

The weakness is Leigh’s tendency to keep returning us to the same judgement of Vera. Staunton suggests a person whose habits might contain contradictions, while the writing repeatedly reassures us of her fundamental innocence. The increasingly sombre tone also narrows the range of feeling that the early family scenes make possible. We wanted more room for awkwardness and irritation, particularly because the cast is so good at making ordinary behaviour interesting.

Social dramas can become thin when everyone has to speak for a position, and Leigh mostly avoids that by giving the family so much time. At 125 minutes, the film can feel heavy with unhappiness, but we would be reluctant to lose the early domestic scenes. The reservations matter, but Staunton’s attentive, unsentimental work keeps bringing us back. Watch it with someone willing to argue afterwards about where kindness stops being enough.

*Fi1m score 84, published 15 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics respond warmly to Vera Drake, with praise centring on Imelda Staunton’s performance and Mike Leigh’s closely observed working-class family life. Staunton is repeatedly credited with making Vera’s kindness and distress convincing, while the ensemble and careful period detail give her surroundings weight. The favourable reviews find that Leigh approaches abortion through people and their circumstances, allowing questions of class and morality to emerge without reducing the characters to spokespeople.

The disagreement concerns how much complexity that approach allows. The Los Angeles Times finds Vera and her family too idealised, arguing that Leigh smooths away the difficulties that might make them more persuasive. Eye for Film admires the acting and visual detail but sees a heavy-handed polemic where others find restraint. Radio Times offers a narrower reservation about the persistent dourness. The spread is therefore appreciable, though even the more doubtful reviews praise the performances.

## Straight answers

**Is Vera Drake worth watching?**

*Vera Drake* is worth watching, and we scored it 84, chiefly for Imelda Staunton's brisk, unsentimental performance as a 1950s London cleaner who also performs illegal abortions. Mike Leigh is too keen to protect Vera from criticism, and the tone grows heavy with unhappiness, but the patient family scenes with Phil Davis, Daniel Mays and Alex Kelly are convincing enough to earn the evening.

**How long is Vera Drake, and what is it rated?**

*Vera Drake* runs 2h 05m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a drama film.

**Where can I watch Vera Drake in the US?**

*Vera Drake* is streaming on The Roku Channel in the US. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Vera Drake, and is it suitable for children?**

*Vera Drake* carries a UK 12A certificate and contains no conventional violence or horror; its distress comes from the subject rather than from anything graphic. Leigh shows the abortion procedures in a matter-of-fact way that we found upsetting precisely because nothing is dramatised. It is unsuitable for young children on subject alone, and better suited to older teenagers and adults ready to talk about it afterwards.

**How does Vera Drake compare to Secrets & Lies?**

*Vera Drake* is the more sombre of the two Mike Leigh films, while [*Secrets & Lies*](https://film.one/film/secrets-and-lies) is both funnier and more painful, with a wider range of feeling. Both give a working-class family time to become familiar, and both feature a central performance we would not want to miss. Viewers who want warmth alongside the hurt should start with the earlier film; those interested in class and women's choices in 1950s London should choose Vera.

**What should I watch after Vera Drake?**

After *Vera Drake*, try [*Secrets & Lies*](https://film.one/film/secrets-and-lies) (1996, Fi1m 88): Leigh gives another family the time and space to become painfully familiar. Then [*4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days*](https://film.one/film/4-months-3-weeks-and-2-days) (2007, Fi1m 91): A harsher account of illegal abortion, alert to the dangers of dependence; and [*A Separation*](https://film.one/film/a-separation) (2011, Fi1m 93): Family loyalties and unequal power complicate every attempt to decide who is right.

### Reviews we read (13)

- **Slant Magazine**, Ed Gonzalez (90/100, inferred): The critic commends Leigh's skill at contrasting social strata and Staunton's revelatory performance, which captures the shattering of a good person's world. The film confronts difficult themes without preachiness, emphasizing family, humanity, and moral complexity. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/vera-drake/)
- **The AV Club**, Scott Tobias (85/100, inferred): The critic highlights the film's three-dimensional authenticity in depicting working-class life and family dynamics before the drama unfolds. Staunton's wrenching performance and Leigh's focus on personal tragedy allow the story to transcend typical issue-movie polemics on abortion. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/vera-drake-1798200037)
- **The New Yorker**, David Denby (85/100, inferred): Vera Drake is marvellous, a disciplined and aesthetically harmonized portrait of working-class stoicism and goodness in 1950s London. Leigh brings the yeoman spirit to life without sentiment or condescension, with Imelda Staunton's performance capturing the lyrical resilience in Vera's ceaseless energy and caregiving. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2004/10/11/playing-parts)
- **Radio Times**, Dave Aldridge (4/5): The critic highlights Staunton's stunning, Bafta-winning performance as the naive cleaning lady and praises the supporting cast plus Leigh's impeccable period recreation. A minor complaint is that the film is perhaps too relentlessly dark and dour. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-9i29yq/vera-drake/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Carina Chocano (60/100, inferred): Vera Drake is a paean to a bygone society and its genuinely happy working-class families, with Imelda Staunton radiant as the unimpeachable ministering angel Vera. Leigh stacks the deck by varnishing his characters too gloopily and removing complexity, making the film more portrait than story with an overkill airbrush. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-oct-22-et-vera22-story.html)
- **Film Comment**, Amy Taubin: The critic finds the film wonderfully subtle and relentlessly harrowing. She singles out its precise, non-melodramatic depiction of illegal abortion procedures and the central performance. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/article/hard-labor-vera-drake/)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert: The film is a deep and true portrait of working-class family life rather than a message picture about abortion. Leigh excels at creating palpably real family scenes through his improvisational method, with Imelda Staunton's performance as the kind, naive Vera anchoring the story. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/vera-drake-2004)
- **Sight and Sound**, Ryan Gilbey: The critic praises Leigh for creating a quiet, compassionate film that methodically documents post-war English class prejudice without nostalgia. Staunton's performance and the production design are highlighted as key strengths in conveying emotional and social devastation. [Read](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/657)
- **The Guardian**, Philip French: The critic hails Imelda Staunton's portrayal of Vera Drake as a tour de force and calls Mike Leigh's film a masterpiece. He singles out the film's subtle approach to its themes and the morally impressive way it depicts the family coming to terms with the revelation. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2005/jan/09/philipfrench)
- **The New York Times**, Manohla Dargis: Vera Drake is Mike Leigh's best work in a decade, directed with love and beauty as an honest argument about morality and class that emerges from characters' real experiences. The film rings true through its portrait of a nurturing working-class woman whose illegal abortions highlight the inequities of the law. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/08/movies/motherly-abortionist-gets-entangled-with-the-law.html)
- **Time Out**, DC: The review calls it Leigh's best since Secrets & Lies, lauding the authentic period recreation, class commentary, and Staunton's career-topping lead performance as an altruistic abortionist. It notes the film ultimately portrays her as a martyr to an unfair system. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/vera-drake)
- **Variety**, David Rooney: Mike Leigh is at the peak of his powers with this compassionate, morally complex drama that stands alongside his best work and showcases the rich yield of his rehearsal process. Imelda Staunton gives a revelatory performance in this riveting, profoundly affecting story of a good Samaritan abortionist in post-WWII London. [Read](https://variety.com/2004/film/awards/vera-drake-2-1200531272/)
- **Eye for Film**, David Haviland (65/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's meticulous period detail, visual style, and excellent ensemble acting led by Imelda Staunton, but finds the explicit focus on the abortion issue makes it feel like a heavy-handed polemic that lacks the emotional nuance and character-driven impact of Leigh's best work. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/vera-drake-film-review-by-david-haviland)

## Details

- **Director:** Mike Leigh
- **Director:** Mike Leigh
- **Writer:** Mike Leigh
- **Cinematography:** Dick Pope
- **Editor:** Jim Clark
- **Music:** Andrew Dickson
- **Production design:** Eve Stewart
- **Costume design:** Jacqueline Durran
- **Producer:** Alain Sarde, Simon Channing-Williams
- **Cast:** Imelda Staunton as Vera Drake; Phil Davis as Stan; Sally Hawkins as Susan Wells; Daniel Mays as Sid; Eddie Marsan as Reg; Alex Kelly as Ethel; Ruth Sheen as Lily; Adrian Scarborough as Frank
- **Runtime:** 2h 05m
- **Certificate (MPA):** R
- **Release (the US):** 22 October 2004
- **Genres:** Drama
- **Also in:** [BAFTA Best Film winners](https://film.one/collections/bafta-best-film.md) (Nominee, 2004); [Golden Lion winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-lion.md) (Winner, 2004)
- **Budget:** $11 million
- **Box office:** $13 million

## Where to watch in the US

- The Roku Channel: add-on, hd

*Checked 2026-09-15.*

Also available in: AT, DE, EE, FR, GB, HR, IE, IS, LT, SI, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 2005: Best Actress (nominated); Best Director (nominated)
- European Film Award for Best Actress 2004: European Film Award for Best Actress (won)
- European Film Award for Best Film 2004: European Film Award for Best Film (nominated)
- Venice Film Festival 2004: Golden Lion (won)

## If you liked this

- *Secrets & Lies* (1996), Fi1m 88: Leigh gives another family the time and space to become painfully familiar — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/secrets-and-lies.md)
- *4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days* (2007), Fi1m 91: A harsher account of illegal abortion, alert to the dangers of dependence — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/4-months-3-weeks-and-2-days.md)
- *A Separation* (2011), Fi1m 93: Family loyalties and unequal power complicate every attempt to decide who is right — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/a-separation.md)
- *A Woman Under the Influence* (1974), Fi1m 86: Another demanding lead performance inside a family whose love cannot prevent damage — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/a-woman-under-the-influence.md)
- *Umberto D.* (1952), Fi1m 91: Ordinary hardship receives patient attention, with small acts of care carrying weight — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/umberto-d.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/vera-drake