Irina Palm (2007)

68% of critics liked it
(47 reviews)
77% of users liked it
(5,502 ratings)

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 fiftysomething increasingly desperate to cover the cost of her ailing grandson's (Corey Burke)… More 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 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

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 43 min.
Directed By: Sam Garbarski
Written By: Philippe Blasband, Sam Garbarski, Martin Herron
Genres: Drama, Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Mar 21, 2008 Limited
On DVD: Aug 12, 2008
Studio: Strand Releasing

Critic Reviews

Philip Marchand, Toronto Star
A pleasingly sentimental British domestic drama.
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail
takes the notion of risqué empowerment a few preposterous steps further.
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 can't avoid the predictability.
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.
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
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.
Enrique Buchichio, Uruguay Total
Un drama sensible y austero, no exento de cierto sentido del humor, que deja de lado cualquier aspecto sórdido del asunto para concentrarse en una historia de amor y sacrificio.
Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]
A gobsmackingly awful British film -- awful in the way that somehow only British films can be: our TV drama, of whatever quality, is never as creaky, naive, badly written and flatulent as this.
Matthew Turner, ViewLondon
Engaging, enjoyable and quietly thought-provoking British drama with a refreshingly offbeat script and a great central performance from Marianne Faithfull.
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
Irina Palm blows but Marianne Faithfull gives it her all.
Prairie Miller, NewsBlaze
Garbarski combines social satire, hand jobs, feminism, and romantic grace to create a tenderhearted tale of found love and female empowerment. And he actually pulls it off, give the guy a hand. On second thought...
Prairie Miller, NewsBlaze
Garbarski combines social satire, hand jobs, feminism, and romantic grace to create a tenderhearted tale of found love and female empowerment. And he actually pulls it off, give the guy a hand. On second thought...
Liz Braun, Jam! Movies
The performances will keep you watching, and make Irina Palm well worth seeing.
Kat Brown, Empire Magazine
There's a heartwarming quality that softens the hardcore setting but this does lack an assured, er, hand.
Beth Accomando, KPBS.org
Irina Palm is a showcase for Faithfull but it never truly allows her to shine.
Marc Mohan, Oregonian
At first blush, it seems like another entry in the saucy-but-safe Brit genre, a la Calendar Girls, Saving Grace or The Full Monty, but it turns out to be both more ambitious and less successful than those diversions.

Read all 16 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Jan Marc M

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.
Dean M

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… More
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 'Sexy World', but I liked sexy strippers the best.
Mark A

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 made… More
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 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.
Walter M

[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… More
[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 Australia 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]
Ina S

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".