Irina Palm

Maggie is a widow in her fifties living in a small English village outside of London. She has spent her life in a humdrum manner taking care of her family. Her grandson is very ill and in the hospital. His only chance of survival is surgery in Australia. The medical expenses will be paid by the health care system, but the transportation, etc. must be provided by the family.

Maggie does not have the money, and her son has been out of work for almost a year. Maggie is determined to get the money and goes off to London in a quest of employment of any sort. She is greeted with disdain by potential employers and employment agencies as she is an unremarkable woman with no experience or talent.

In an act of final desperation, Maggie enters a sex shop on a seedy street in London advertising help wanted. It is here that Maggie finds she has a talent much sought after by the clientèle of the shop. She is given the professional name of Irina Palm by her boss, Miki.

It should be obvious that there are going to be sizable repercussions from a modest widow so radically expanding her range of experience, and there are.

Marianne Faithful and Yugoslavian actor Miki Manojlovic are extremely effective as Maggie and Miki - two people who, despite their ages, are able to learn and develop from their experiences.

You'll find that Irina Palm is a very slow moving film but one that offers a very different view of human nature. It is an intriguing slice of life.

Irina Palm is one of those quirky off-beat Brit flicks that you come across every now and again. Based around the life of a middle aged Maggie, widowed, one son and a grandchild dying of a rare illness. Maggie needs a lot of money to pay for the treatment the boy needs, which can only be found in Australia. However, as widow whose main employment seems to have been as a lady who lunches, her work skills are rather non-existent. Also having sold of the family silver and home some time previously there is very little in the kitty to pay for the treatment he needs. However, she eventually finds salvation in the sex trade as an unlikely sex worker however a rather talented one at that. Finding her niche in hand jobs (to be polite) she sets about becoming the best in London and the target of headhunters (or hand-hunters in this case) What I really enjoyed is the sheer brilliant humanity that Ms Faithful brought to the screen as she realizes that there are real people who work the industry, real that is with families, and homes of their own Special mention must go to Miki Manojlovic and Jenny Agutter for two of the best scenes in the film. All in all a well worth the trip out but as its now playing at Art house cinemas might be a little bit tricky to find.

IRINA PALM may be a film too many people will overlook, thinking it either empty headed or pornographic. But word of mouth should correct those misconceptions, as this little quiet film is a tender story of an aging woman's sacrifices and healthy outlook in the face of adversity. IRINA PALM is that happy marriage of comedy and drama, a heartwarming tale that leaves the viewer with both a smile and a tear.

Written by Director Sam Garbarski with Martin Herron and Phillipe Blasband, IRINA PALM is the story of a widowed grandmother Maggie (Marianne Faithful in a luminous performance) whose young grandson Ollie (Corey Burke) is gravely ill. Maggie's son Tom (Kevin Bishop) and daughter-in-law Sarah (Siobhan Hewlett) cannot afford the transfer from England to Australia where the young lad could undergo curative treatment. Maggie decides she must find a job - a daunting task for an older woman with no particular job training - to make the treatment affordable. After numerous rejections from employment agencies, she spies a Sex Shop advertising for 'hostesses'. Thinking that designation means serving tea, etc, she enters the shady establishment and is interviewed by the owner Miki (Miki Manojlovic), a gentle man who gently describes the type of employment: Maggie would sit in a room and provide simple masturbation through a glory hole for anonymous clients. At first shocked by the job description, she in desperation investigates the business with the help of her soon to be best friend Luisa (Dorka Gryllus), and accepts the job with reservations. To her surprise (and the surprise of Miki and Luisa) Maggie gains a loyal following of customers, so much so that she is given the name 'Irina Palm'.

Keeping her employment a secret from everyone, she is the brunt of gossip from her old cronies and when she gives the money from her job to her son Tom without revealing its source, she causes a riff in the family. Maggie is courted by other sex shop owners who offer higher pay, but she remains faithful to Miki who advanced her the money for Ollie's trip to Australia. Tom stalks his mother to her workplace, discovers the source of her income, and explodes with anger and embarrassment that his mother would stoop to such depths. But Maggie's role as Irina Palm has given her confidence and also opened her heart not only to her grandson's future but to her own happiness as well. The ending may be expected by some, but will warm the hearts of everyone.

There are many moments of humor - Maggie's learning her trade, her ultimate confession to her cronies as to her occupation, etc - and this lightness makes the dramatic message more powerful. Faithful is extraordinarily fine in this difficult role, but the entire cast is sensitively responsive to the screenplay and to director Garbarski's vision. This is a film to cherish. Highly recommended. Grady Harp

Marianne Faithful stars as a grandmother desperate to provide a rare and expensive medical treatment for her cancer-stricken grandson, in any way possible. She tries every other avenue before settling, reluctantly, on sex work.

The synopsis just doesn't do justice to the movie; my expectations were low, but the film really delivers. From the reactions of her friends and family to the pride she begins to take in her job, this movie has a wealth of subtle and not-so-subtle points to make. The one thing I noted was that there is no way, in the context of the film, to condemn her character for what she is doing. She simply has to reach her goal, and nothing is going to stop her. That kind of dedication is rare and touching.

The best scenes were the grandmother's relations with the club owner and other workers. She holds her own and maintains her dignity despite the circumstances she finds herself in. There aren't any crude jokes, despite the material, but there are rare moments of humor.

Watch this if you get the chance, you won't be disappointed.

I watched this movie in the preview in my university. I must admit that when my friend told me what it was about I thought it would be one of those dull good-intentioned but poorly made movie. I was wrong.

This movie is powerful and transmits a lot. Doesn't pretend to feel pity, and even though the beginning might be even considered dramatic, it made me laugh out loud several times.

It's the first review I write, but I definitely thought I should drop a line to defend this beautiful story that talks about what can a person do for a loved one, about re-discovering yourself, about avoiding stupid dogmas... And at the end it leaves you with a broad smile and a sense of tenderness that not so commonly a movie inflicts you.

If you like beautiful stories, this is your movie.