Abortion propels the plot, but family is the heart of the tale.
By John DeSando, WCBE's "It's Movie Time"
When I anticipated seeing "Cider House Rules," I expected an extended treatise on abortion only to see a film about the need of a child for a home with a sidebar about abortion. Mike Leigh's ("Secrets and Lies") "Vera Drake" puts me in the same situation: It is a film about an abortionist who is a caregiver for young women "in trouble," her neighborhood, and her family. Abortion propels the plot, but family is the heart of the tale.