Vera Drake |
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cert 15, 122 minutes. £ 4.50 £4.00 (conc) director: Mike Leigh with Imelda Staunton, Phil Davies, Daniel Mays. |
Fri 18th, Sun 20th, Tues 22nd and Thursday 24th at 18.00 Sat 19th, Mon 21st and Wed 23rd at 20.30 London, 1950. Vera Drake (Staunton) lives with her husband and their grown up children, the very epitome of a respectable working class family. Always helping people, Vera takes care of her old mum, regularly pops in to visit a poorly neighbour, invites another around for tea every night because she thinks he doesn't eat properly. Perennially cheerful, Vera is the salt of the earth but what her family don't know is that for more than 20 years she has been helping young women who find themselves in trouble. In telling Vera's story and its repercussions for the people around her, Mike Leigh deftly and beautifully conveys the complexity of the moral issues and social iniquities surrounding her actions. The film's resonance lies in its accumulation of detail, full of humour, sharp observation and the richness of everyday lives. Staunton is simply outstanding and devastating to watch. Beautifully crafted, considered and deeply affecting, this is a major work from a world-class filmmaker. |
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