Irina Palm - Il talento di una donna inglese

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.

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.

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.

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.

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