Vera Drake

Herald rating: * * * * *

London, just after World War II, and Vera Drake (Imelda Staunton) performs a community service: when she comes home from cleaning a rich family's house, she helps young women when "they got no one to turn to". In other words, she performs illegal abortions.

Vera's husband, Stan (Phil Davis), is a mechanic. Their son, Sid (Daniel Mays), a tailor, lives at home; so does their shy daughter, Ethel (Alex Kelly). Vera will perform another social service by inviting Reg (Eddie Marson), a lonely bachelor for tea and matrimony.

However, the Drakes' life will change forever when an abortion goes wrong and the Inspector (Peter Wight) calls.

Like many of director Mike Leigh's earlier films, much of the plot and dialogue is improvised by the actors over months before the cameras roll. So rather than a grim polemic about the morality of Vera's "help", this is a remarkably drawn, warm portrait of families and family life.

The DVD offers little extra, only a 10-minute feature showing Leigh working with the actors to develop the script and some comments from cinematographer Dick Pope on working with Leigh.

* DVD, video rental out now