People commit crimes for any number of reasons. Some are criminally insane, others are simply malicious, while many of the rest are driven by greed, revenge, lust or a host of other explosive emotions. Then there are those who commit crimes for what they see as noble reasons. Some break the law to prove a political or social point, but the more intriguing and complex are those who do so to help others.
People might not agree with the rationale, but there are cases of people shoplifting or robbing to feed their families, as well as those who provide certain services -- for fee or free -- for those who need, want or can't obtain the same for themselves due to the law.
The protagonist in Mike Leigh's latest film, "Vera Drake," is one such person with one such "helpful" agenda. Although she knows the act is illegal -- she can't even call it by its name, instead replying that she's helping "clients" who have no where else to turn -- she performs bedroom abortions for the needy and desperate.
The picture isn't so much of a pro or anti-abortion message film (although there are elements of both), but rather an intriguing character study. That shouldn't come as much of a surprise to fans of the director's work such as "All or Nothing" and "Secrets & Lies." Like those efforts, this one's long on solid performances from a talented cast but short on anything resembling more than a snail's pace tempo.
While most of the film is all about character and emotions (often portrayed through subtle facial reactions rather than on-the-nose dialogue or flashy acting or big speech moments), I'd swear that paint dries faster than the plodding plot. Although it's teeming with delicious little bits of dialogue, the story is not only slow, but also quite simple. The filmmaker's diehard fans won't likely mind or care, but unless everyone else is in some cushy seats, the shift and squirm factor will increase proportionally to every added minute and lack of forward, backward or sideways momentum.
The film's saving grace is what Leigh does with his characters. Beyond the terrific casting of known and relatively unknown actors and actresses, the writer/director once again manages to create flesh and blood people in believable, three-dimensional settings on the screen. Despite the story being rather straightforward, and not much -- especially in terms of dialogue -- occurring in any given scene, the filmmaker has created an assortment of characters that simply feel like the real deal.
In fact, if not for some purposefully cute and funny moments that have obviously been inserted to break up the drab and solemn subject matter, this nearly could have passed for a you-are-there documentary. Of course, a great deal of that stems from the cast's performances and character interaction which is particularly notable when viewed in the relative dearth of material with which they work (the theme and its repercussions are deep, but the plot isn't).
Leading the pack is Imelda Staunton ("Shakespeare in Love," "Sense and Sensibility") who plays one of those mediocre women who'd otherwise be invisible if not for her kind and generous ways (the latter in that she doesn't charge for her services). The actress effortlessly plays her in a pitch-perfect fashion without any sort of flash or grandstanding.
The only fault I had with the performance, though, is that I felt no emotional involvement with the character. Those who strongly stand on one side or the other of the abortion issue may feel or react differently, but I felt like a casual observer from the outside looking in without any deep connection to her or her story. Even so, it's one of the better performances by an actress that I've seen so far this year.
Just as good but with a less meaty role is Adrian Scarborough ("Dirty Pretty Things," "Gosford Park") who plays the loving husband who's oblivious to his wife's extracurricular activities. Daniel Mays ("Pearl Harbor," "All or Nothing") and Alex Kelly ("All or Nothing") play their grown kids, with the latter's "misfit" romance with the character played by Eddie Marsan ("21 Grams," "Gangs of New York") providing some of the film's dry comic relief. Phil Davis ("Nicolas Nickleby," "Still Crazy") is good as their uncle, while the character played by Heather Craney ("Topsy-Turvy," "All or Nothing") as his self-centered wife is the only real weak link of all the characters.
For all of the acting prowess on hand, I just kept wishing the plot were more interesting and a bit more up-tempo. I understand the reason for the slow pacing and obviously didn't expect or want a music-video style thriller. Nevertheless, the slow pace and lack of an emotionally connective aura or elements left me admiring the performances but wishing there was more to the overall effort. "Vera Drake" rates as a 6 out of 10.
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