Vera Drake

This character study focuses on a woman in 1950s Britain who is the bedrock of her extended family and also moonlights as a back-alley abortionist whose genuine intent is to help young women in trouble. Imelda Staunton’s nuanced performance won awards from the London, Los Angeles, and New York film critics associations and National Society of Film Critics, along with Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. “I wanted to do a film that looked at the whole question of abortion, particularly as it’s not a resolved question in many parts of the world,” says Leigh. 2004, 35mm, 125 minutes.