Vera Drake May 2026

Vera is a "terminally cheerful" woman who lives in a cramped but happy flat with her husband, Stan, and their two adult children, Sid and Ethel. Her days are filled with selflessness: she works as a housekeeper for upper-middle-class families and spends her few spare minutes visiting sick neighbors, offering tea, and caring for her elderly mother.

The duality of 1950s society is stark: while the poor resort to Vera’s dangerous procedures, the wealthy families she cleans for can obtain safe, legal abortions by paying high fees for psychiatric recommendations. vera drake

The revelation of her secret causes a deep rift in her family: Vera is a "terminally cheerful" woman who lives

However, for nearly 20 years, Vera has led a hidden life. She performs "backstreet" abortions for young women "in trouble"—a term she prefers over the medical ones—using a simple method of hot water and disinfectant. Vera views this as a charitable social duty and refuses to take any money for it. Unbeknownst to her, her friend Lily, who refers the clients, is secretly charging them for the service. The revelation of her secret causes a deep

Vera's world shatters when one of her cases is hospitalized with a life-threatening infection. The police trace the event back to her, and she is arrested during a celebratory family dinner for her daughter Ethel’s engagement.