Vera Drake is a 2004 British period drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh and starring Imelda Staunton, Phil Davis, Daniel Mays and Eddie Marsan. It tells the story of a working-class woman in London in 1950 who performs illegal abortions.

The film was acclaimed, winning the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and three BAFTA Awards. At the Academy Awards, it was nominated for Best Actress for Staunton, and Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for Leigh.

Vera Drake is devoted to her family, looking after her husband and children, her elderly mother, and a sick neighbour. Her shy daughter, Ethel, works in a lightbulb factory, and her son, Sid, tailors men's suits. Her husband, Stanley, is a car mechanic. Although Vera and her family are poor, their strong family bonds hold them together. During her working day as a house cleaner, Vera performs constant small acts of kindness for the many people she encounters.

She is a kindly person who is eager to help others. Unknown to her family, she secretly provides abortions for young women. She receives no money for providing this service because she believes that her help is an act of charity to women in trouble. However, her partner Lily, who also carries on a black-market trade in scarce postwar foodstuffs, charges two guineas (two pounds and two shillings: equivalent to £87 in 2023) for arranging the abortions, without Vera's knowledge.

The film contains a subplot about an upper-class young woman, Susan, the daughter of one of Vera's employers. Susan is raped by a suitor, becomes pregnant, and asks a friend to put her in contact with a doctor, through whom she can obtain an abortion. The doctor refers her to a psychiatrist, who prompts her to answer questions in a certain way, so that he can legally recommend an abortion on therapeutic psychiatric grounds: that she has a family history of mental illness and that she may commit suicide if not allowed to terminate the pregnancy. The procedure costs her a hundred guineas.

Vera performs an abortion for a young woman named Pamela, whose mother recognizes Vera. After Pamela nearly dies, her mother is pressured into informing the police, and Vera is arrested and taken into custody for questioning. She is held overnight and appears before a magistrate the next morning. Sid is shocked by his mother's secret activities and tells his father that he does not think that he can forgive her. In a later conversation with Vera, he expresses fear for what could happen to her in prison, before telling Vera that he loves her.

Vera is bailed to appear at the Old Bailey. None of Vera's employers will give her a character reference. Her solicitor thinks she will receive the minimum sentence of 18 months in jail; the judge sentences her to two-and-a-half years' imprisonment "as a deterrent to others." This affects all the people who previously depended on Vera's kindness.

While in prison, Vera meets others who have been convicted of performing illegal abortions. They discuss their sentences, explaining that it is not their first time in prison for performing illegal abortions, and that she will probably only serve half her sentence. Vera tearfully leaves to go to her cell.