REVIEW: 'Irina Palm' showcases Faithfull in character drama

By DAN BENNETT - Staff Writer | Wednesday, May 7, 2008 2:05 PM PDT ∞

Bleak, but not without hope, "Irina Palm" shows to what lengths familial love will travel.

Former pop icon Marianne Faithfull stars as Maggie, a British grandmother faced with the realization her young grandson is dying and needs urgent medical care, costing an amount her well-meaning but cash-strapped son can't pay.

Maggie wanders into a seedy club to interview for a hostess job, instead landing a job in the sex-worker industry, much to her surprise. Without too much detail, we'll say the men with whom Maggie engages don't actually see her during the encounters. The experience at first frightens Maggie, but then surprises her with a feeling of rejuvenation.

Meanwhile, it becomes tricky business to hide her new occupation from her neighbors and family. Rather than give up, though, Maggie presses on as a way to save her grandson.

"Irina Palm," the title taken from the nickname the club owner gives Maggie, is a somewhat dour character drama with hints of dark humor. It's also the story of a woman with tremendous courage late in life, even if we can't always comprehend her decisions. Faithfull is well cast as the moribund but ultimately kind Maggie, who makes choices defining her determination to survive, emotionally, and help those closest to her along the way.

B "Irina Palm"

Starring: Marianne Faithfull, Miki Manojlovic, Kevin Bishop

Director: Sam Barkarski

Studio: Strand Releasing

Rated: R (for sexual themes)

RT: 103 minutes

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