I saw the poster for this & thought it was just another period piece, but then I saw it was by Mike Leigh & had to go see it. The film is dark, both in lighting (most scenes are indoors) & in tone, without being overwhelmingly depressing. The cinematography, set design & lighting all captured late 40's/early 50's era quite well, also kudos to sets & props department for this. The film's story line delves into the details of the issue at hand to such great detail, that it is very obvious that Mike Leigh did some good research into the subject matter before it was written, a quality lacking in most current historical films. The film's characters were detailed well & more than competently conveyed by the actors that portrayed them, with 2 exceptions. Both Vera's childhood friend who referred abortions to her & the brother's wife were rather one-dimensional stiff boards/uptight, which played OK for comedic effect in a few scenes, but also detracted from the cineme verite quality of the other performances. So, while I think this was probably better than any Hollywood film this year (ok, I haven't gone to any, so I can't be quite certain), I would not say that it is Leigh's best. The editing was also a bit uneven. A few scenes felt either contrived (the brother & wife talking at home after Vera was arrested) or out of place (the final scene with the family at dinner). But, I would still recommend it. 8/10
Review of Vera Drake
