Netflix is removing "perfect" British drama with Daniel Mays and Lesley Manville this week

There are just days left to watch classic British film Vera Drake, starring Daniel Mays and Lesley Manville, on Netflix. The film, from acclaimed writer and director Mike Leigh, is leaving the streamer on Friday (16 October), giving you just two nights to stay in and stream it before it goes.

Imelda Staunton leads the cast as Vera Drake, a working-class house cleaner who secretly provides abortions for vulnerable young women, free of charge as an act of charity.

Mays plays her son Sid Drake, with the cast also including Phil Davis as husband Stanley, alongside Eddie Marsan, Adrian Scarborough, Sally Hawkins, Ruth Sheen, Lesley Sharp, and Jim Broadbent.

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Vera Drake was critically acclaimed upon its release and won the Golden Lion at the 2004 Venice Film Festival. It also took home three BAFTA Awards, including Best Actress and Best Director.

On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an impressive 92% Fresh rating from 159 critics' reviews with an audience score of 84%.

The New York Daily News wrote that Vera Drake is "perfect down to the last detail," while the Chicago Sun-Times called it "a film of pitch-perfect, seemingly effortless performances."

The Washington Post said it was "a carefully calibrated parable that quietly sneaks into your heart and prods it sharply".

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USA Today praised it as "the kind of people-driven story that the movies used to give us – before special effects took over".

In their review CinemaSight wrote: "Vera Drake acts as a potent reminder of where society has been, and it was a frightening and dangerous period of history that no woman should have to relive - and this film makes that crystal clear."

Vera Drake is streaming on Netflix until 16 October.

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Stephanie is a freelance news writer, who previously covered WWE and AEW for Digital Spy.

After graduating with a degree in history from Queen Mary University, London, she studied journalism at Birkbeck University.

Outside of her work at Digital Spy, she writes about pop culture, with a special focus towards Irish media and how it intersects with politics.