The Secret of Vera Drake (Vera Drake), UK 2004

The plot of this movie is exactly the same as Chabrol’s Une Affaire des Femmes. A lady in her mid-fifties, mother of two youngsters, helps young women who are in trouble in postwar London, which means, she helps them abort. A very controversial topic, but it is important to note that abortion was already legal at that time in England. The problem was that this lady was doing it illegally, in that she went to the women’s homes. When one of them gets really sick and ends up in hospital, the authorities react and start investigating. Soon enough, they arrive at Mrs. Drake’s home, and right in the middle of a family dinner celebration. The sad thing here is, that Mrs. Drake was doing these abortions for free, while one of her best friends charged the “clients” and never gave her any money. At the end everyone learns the truth, and it’s a sad as it gets. The acting performed by Mrs. Drake, is extraordinary, portraying the real emotions of a woman who discovers she has been tricked for a long time. A very realistic and emotional film not to be missed.