Irina Palm - Il talento di una donna inglese

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.

Every now and then a remarkable small film is made. The recent "Venus" starring Peter O'Toole is one. Irina Palm is also one.

This is a story of a middle-aged woman (Maggie, played by Marianne Faithful) worn down by sadness. She must get hold of a substantial amount of money. Forced by necessity and desperation Maggie does something that is at first utterly alien to her, but may yet become an awakening and salvation, a route to an identity she does not know she has and to new love.

Marianne Faithful's central performance is hugely affecting in its undecorated stillness and simplicity. This film is a cut above so many bigger releases. If you like a small story well-told it is for you.

This artful and poignant film is a perfect balance between the sadness of how impotent adults are when a child is ill and the laughter that leavens the sadness. Music of Ghuzu guitar group propels the actions forward. Sensitive camera work doesn't allow us to be more than very limited voyeurs into the workings of a SoHo sex club where our protagonist grandmother, played to perfection by Marianne Faithful, in a role that shows us how multi talented this former rock chick of 1970's fame as the muse for Mick Jagger is as a mature woman. She does what she is able to do for not only her sick grandson, but for her son who is unable to "fix" what a "good father" should be able to. Her moral dilemma is resolved in how she limits and defines just what a "good mother" should do for her children to protect them from life's foibles and cruelties. The Desert Film Society of Palm Springs, CA screened this film on Sat. Dec. 15, 2007 for our 300+ members who thought it one of the best films we have shown this year, along with The Man in the Chair.

Marianne Faithful has an emotional magnet, a stillness/quietness that makes her performance, as well as the film totally, centered on this intriguing and unique character; Miki Manojlovic too, as the nightclub owner, provides a wonderful and a smooth performance; Dorka Gryllus is also remarkable in her small but important role as Maggie's colleague. The story's concept is not completely brand new (desperate character doing desperate things to make money for life saving) but it has been refreshed and it finally proved involving and engaging. Of course it's a very improbable story, but I found very convincing the portrayal of a woman uncomfortable in her own skin and overall uncomfortable with other peoples. There are some scenes blending humor and surprise, rendered in a very poignant way and the tone is always appropriate.

Desperate to earn money so her critically ill grandson can have a much-needed operation, a modest and reserved middle-aged widow finds a job "pleasuring" men through a hole in the wall of a sleazy London strip joint. Before you know it, Maggie is doing quite the little business (years of not doing manual labor have apparently paid off), with a steady stream of satisfied customers queuing up outside her cubicle, and a boss more than satisfied with the money she's bringing in. She's even adopted a stage name, Irina Palm, renowned for having the "smoothest" hand in the business. But hiding the truth from her son and daughter-in-law and her snooty, gossipy friends becomes a daily challenge for Maggie as she debases herself for a noble cause.

Despite its rather - um, shall we say "touchy" subject matter - "Irina Palm" is a warm human drama about a woman willing to go to any lengths to help a person she loves. But that's only the glass-half-empty aspect of the story for, in a bizarre sort of way, this turns out to be one of the best things that's ever happened to Maggie. Indeed, her willingness to meet life on its own terms - then, eventually, her own - opens up whole new possibilities for Maggie as an individual, possibilities that have hitherto remained unrealized due to the various social roles and conduct restrictions that have been imposed upon her throughout the course of her life. Her new job gives her a type of freedom she's never had before, simply because it is she and she alone who is now determining what course that life will take.

"Irina Palm" may make some in the audience squirm at times, but the sheer preposterousness of what Maggie is being called upon to do in the name of money, and the empathy generated by famed singer Marianne Faithful's beautifully understated and heartfelt performance purge the film of any taint of luridness it might otherwise have had. There's actually quite a bit of humor here as well, as Maggie begins by swallowing her pride - then finding a pride of her own in a job well done, much to the consternation of the sanctimonious prigs who surround her. Yet, as directed and co-written by Sam Garbarski, "Irina Palm" makes it a point to be fair to its characters. This is particularly the case with Miklos, Maggie's boss (wonderfully played by Miki Manojlovic), who could easily have been portrayed as an irredeemable lout but who instead comes across as a shrewd but not unreasonable businessman with issues of his own to deal with and a spiritual connection with this strange woman who overturns not only his establishment but his heart. And fine performances by Kevin Bishop, Siobhan Hewlett, Corey Burke and Jenny Agutter ("An American Werewolf in London") add to the emotional richness of the piece.

This is a surprisingly tender and touching film that will have you rooting for the middle-aged widow with the magic hand almost in spite of yourself.