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Irina Palm

Let the Eliot Spitzer jokes begin

By Matt Pais

Metromix
March 20, 2008

Critic's Rating:

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To help fund treatment for her dying grandson, Maggie (Marianne Faithfull) joins the sex industry with a job at Sexy World, where she adopts the stage name Irina Palm and, with "the best right hand in London," services men after they slide their junk through a hole in a wall. Since Maggie keeps this all a secret, her family is understandably curious where the money's coming from, and her friends wonder why her arm winds up in a sling.

Big question: Is this bleak tale meant to arouse or just show how much family members will do to protect their own?

Catch it: This isn't a movie anyone can like or enjoy, but it is a, well, gripping story about tough characters making tougher decisions. The story's as unsentimental as it gets—there are few things sadder than Maggie's first day on the job in that cold, lonely room—yet Faithfull's somber performance keeps it all believable, aside from Maggie's needlessly evolving relationship with her boss.

Skip it: If you don't want to see the kind of dedication it takes to develop a condition called "penis elbow." You won’t believe the havoc it wreaks on your tennis game.

Bottom line: Not a whole lot happens in "Irina Palm," which slows things down but reflects the monotony of a job you're only doing because you have to. That tone would be more consistent without all the sex-related humor, but you’ll likely be glad to have some occasional relief from subject matter so grim.

Bonus: As it turns out, having "no skills, no employment history and no qualifications" doesn't make you a desirable candidate for a non-sex industry job. Who would have thought?

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