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Marianne Faithfull, Miki Manojlovic, Kevin Bishop, Siobhan Hewlett, Dorka Gryllus ... see more see more... , Jenny Agutter , Corey Burke , Megan Owen , Susan Hitch , Flip Webster , Tony O'Brien , Ann Queensberry , Jonathan Coyne , Meg Wynn Owen

Legendary rocker Marianne Faithfull (of "As Tears Go By" and Broken English fame) stars in director Sam Garbarski's gently observed comedy drama Irina Palm (2007). She portrays Maggie, a working-class... read more read more... fiftysomething increasingly desperate to cover the cost of her ailing grandson's (Corey Burke) operation. When denied one loan and prospective job after another, a hopeless Maggie plunges headfirst into the underground skin trade of Soho London and prostitutes herself, under the aegis of new boss Miki (Miki Manojlovic). Equipped with a new name, "Irina Palm," Maggie begins working customers with a stimulatory technique so popular that patrons are soon lining up around the corner to be "serviced" by her. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Flixster Users

77% liked it

5,535 ratings

Critics

68% liked it

47 critics

R, 1 hr. 43 min.

Directed by: Sam Garbarski

Release Date: March 21, 2008

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DVD Release Date: August 12, 2008

Stats: 511 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (511)

  • fb1216165431
    September 10, 2011
    fb1216165431
    Irina Palm is a perverse tale of the odd sacrifice of a desperate grandmother for her terminally-ill grandson. Grace amid shame. Genuinely sentimental. Well-delivered.
  • deano
    August 18, 2008
    deano
    Indifference British film in the drama story of a retired grandmother who acts to raise the cash in a fashion that surprises everyone, but her for her own terminally ill grandson's health deteriorates. I'm sick of sexual activities what a retired grandmother works for in the 'Sex... read morey World', but I liked sexy strippers the best.
  • fb1144932598
    May 27, 2009
    fb1144932598
    Delightful, infuriating, improbable, laugh out loud funny, and a surprisingly entertaining tale of a woman who finds herself out of her depth and working in the sex trades. Her transformation from a quiet little mouse afraid to ask for a job to a force to be reckoned with is what... read more made the film for this viewer. Maggie (Maryanne Faithfull) is marvelous as the small-town grandmother who becomes a sensation at the club where she works. A competent supporting cast and a certain dark atmosphere contribute to the film's success as a morality tale that is at times laugh out loud funny.
  • gator681
    May 13, 2009
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic]"Irina Palm" starts with Maggie(Marianne Faithfull) bringing a giant stuffed lion to her grandson Ollie(Corey Burke) in the hospital. After almost all hope has been extinguished, news comes to his parents(Kevin Bishop & Siobhan Hewlett) of a new treatment in ... read moreAustralia that is free of charge but they do not have the money to pay for airfare. Maggie would help but has no money left herself and attempts at getting a loan or a job prove initially fruitless. When she applies for a job as a hostess, she is informed by the manager Miki(Miki Manojlovic) that it is a euphemism for masturbating the male customers through a hole in the wall. Miki, noticing her smooth hands, thinks she has promise. At first shocked, Maggie needs the money which is good too badly and takes the job to be trained by Luisa(Dorka Gryllus).[/font]

    [font=Century Gothic]"Irina Palm" succeeds in no small measure due to the superb performances by the leads.(I had forgotten how good an actor Miki Manojlovic really is.) Otherwise, the movie starts awfully and has its share of awkward moments but due to a general avoidance of genre cliches and the provocativness of the material, it becomes something quite sublime, even while never forgetting that there is a sick child at its heart. Any sentimentality is quashed by concentrating on the life of a sex worker, reinforcing the point made in "Live Nude Girls Unite!" that it is neither exploitation or empowering(a little shows through, though), just boring. Luisa's advice to Maggie is to separate her personal from her professional life. For a second I am not going to do that. Because as strange as it may sound, the men at the hole are seeking a kind of intimacy, fantasizing about someone who is very different from who is really helping them get off, a maternal figure who is embracing them at their most exposed. But what a mother really does is care for her own, no matter what it takes.[/font]
  • InaHH
    November 7, 2009
    InaHH
    Moving and entertaining, but oversimplified film carried entirely by a fantastic cast. Marianne Faithfull is an absolute must-see, her performance is nothing short of sublime. Unfortunately the rest of the film is not able to match her stunning portrayal of "Irina Palm".
  • dukeakasmudge
    October 11, 2010
    dukeakasmudge
    Irina Palm was not at all what I was expecting it to be & I know I definitely didnt expect to like it as much as I did.
  • LittleMissBloodAndGuts
    July 31, 2009
    LittleMissBloodAndGuts
    I would have preferred to see Jenny Agutter's character expend the effort, and Marianne Faithful's character hold the bucket...but unfortunately, there was no bucket, though she did go though a lot of Kleenex. Anyway, it was humorous to see Marianne portray disdain for something... read more that surely came so intuitively to her in real life behind the music :) Did anyone keep what was left of that Heath Bar to sell on Ebay or did David and Mick consume it from both ends to meet in the middle?
  • sleepykiss
    July 25, 2009
    sleepykiss
    Quiet , simple & novel story extremely well-acted by MFaithfull. It was nice to see both Marianne & Jenny Agutter again. And btw, even tho "glory holes" were involved, there was no graphic sex.
  • sitenoise
    June 18, 2008
    sitenoise
    Rarely have I enjoyed a film this much when I also found so much wrong with it. The biggest reasons for liking Irina Palm are Marianne Faithful and Miki Manojlovic. They are terrific, both humble and genuine in their roles of hand-jobbist and sex-club owner, respectively. I hesit... read moreate to call them prostitute and pimp because that would grossly overstate their actual vocations. It's gross overstatements that slightly mar this otherwise delightful film about a woman who, apparently, stoops to a pretty low standard in her efforts to save the life of her gravely ill grandson.

    I write "apparently" because I couldn't help but conclude from this film that giving hand-jobs for a living is not all that bad. Maggie (M. Faithful) receives the moral high ground in her confrontations with both her friends and her son when the truth of her vocation is revealed. Her son makes a fool of himself, vastly over-acting and over-reacting when he discovers his mother working in a sex club. He sees her dressed in a typical day dress walking through the club. All the other women are half naked, but her son concludes that she is working as a whore. He calls her a whore, screams it at her without a single question. As the audience, we see this display of ridiculous emotion as misplaced. Maggie's daughter-in-law, who up to this point didn't seem to care if her son lived or died, rises to the defense of her mother-in-law. Maggie entered this degrading lifestyle to save her grandson. That's what is important.

    Maggie finds strength and a new, authentic life in refusing to accompany her son and grandson to Australia, and instead returns to the sex club and kisses (and presumably falls in love with) the sex club owner, who, in response to Maggie's declaration that she likes his smile, affirming their budding closeness, says "I like the way you work." Gracious me.

    Dorka Gryllus is also wonderful as the young veteran of glory hole work. But after developing her character, and her relationship with Maggie, she is abruptly tossed aside. The two of them had become friends, but Louisa (D. Gryllus) is unrealistically fired because, apparently, Maggie has taken away all her clients. On her way out, Louisa curses Maggie who has no idea why. When Maggie later approaches Louisa at her home in a run down housing project (isn't that where you'd expect a glory hole worker to live?) to attempt reconciliation perhaps, Louisa opens up a can of class-consciously aware worms in response, but then is shut out, turned off, and eliminated from the rest of the film entirely.

    The script to Irina Palm (palm, hand-job, get it?) has to have some tongue planted firmly in cheek. For those who are curious, there are no penises shown in the film, only arm movements and careful camera angles that suggest the size of the unseen units must average one to two feet in length. The rise of this mild-mannered, fifty-year-old grandma who can't even say the f-word, from nobody to the "best right hand in London", with men in long queues to receive her services is absurd. It's just not that kind of skill. It's a very small segment of a larger talent pool.

    Maggie wears her right arm in a sling for most of the film, suffering from "penis elbow", which is akin to tennis elbow only from a different vocation. Enjoy the film. Don't sweat the details of this simple and touching story, just soak in the wonderful performances amidst the (inexplicably chosen) mildly raunchy milieu.
  • mrsapra
    October 12, 2007
    mrsapra
    This was a touching movie that I saw at the film festival, its first showing in the US. Marianne was great as a grandmother who would do anything to get money to help her grandson. Highly recommended but delicate subject matter

View All Irina Palm Reviews

Critic Reviews

Philip Marchand
June 13, 2008
Philip Marchand, Toronto Star

A pleasingly sentimental British domestic drama. Full Review

Liam Lacey
June 13, 2008
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

takes the notion of risqué empowerment a few preposterous steps further. Full Review

Desson Thomson
May 16, 2008
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

Although director and co-writer Sam Garbarski takes great care in tracing this difficult dramatic path (he has to balance the twin tracks of other people's morality and Maggie's personal course), he c... Full Review

J. R. Jones
May 16, 2008
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

This would never have worked with anyone else but Faithfull, who gives a touching performance even as she flaunts her 40-year metamorphosis from porcelain pop diva to elderly bad girl. Full Review

Sid Smith
May 15, 2008
Sid Smith, Chicago Tribune

Irina Palm is saddled with an odd title, an outlandish plot and an unlikely star--notorious rock maven Marianne Faithfull cast as a suburban frump. But it turns out a success Full Review

Janice Page
May 2, 2008
Janice Page, Boston Globe

Even if there aren't many other reasons to give this contrived and too often silly film a chance, Faithfull makes a captivating leading lady. Full Review

Ruthe Stein
April 11, 2008
Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle

Although Faithfull only sporadically makes movies anymore, it's hard to imagine anyone who could have done this role better. Full Review

Kenneth Turan
March 28, 2008
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

Genially preposterous and pleasantly diverting, it balances calculation against humanity and generally comes out on top. Full Review

A.O. Scott
March 24, 2008
A.O. Scott, New York Times

Irina Palm is, for the most part, a phony trifle, but at its heart, somehow, is a real and fascinating person.

Joe Neumaier
March 21, 2008
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News

Director Sam Garbarski must like his early Neil Jordan and Stephen Frears, since Irina Palm plays like a throwback to gritty-but-softhearted English dramas of the 1980s like Mona Lisa and Sammy and Ro... Full Review

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