Vera Drake (2004)

Director: Mike Leigh
Stars: Imelda Staunton, Richard Graham, Eddie Marsan

Vera Drake (Imelda Staunton) cleans houses in London in the '50s. She cleans, looks after her husband and son, and goes about her private business like everyone else. Only her private business is that she performs illegal abortions.

A kind soul, she doesn't charge her clients, considering it a service to her community. After one of her clients nearly dies, Drake is exposed.

Given the insanity of last year's conversations about women's rights, Mike Leigh's clear-headed motion picture has never been more important.