Irina Palm
|
List Price: Our Price: $15.27 You Save: $12.72 (45%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $9.48 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of Irina Palm
Movie Review: PLEASANT SURPRISE
Summary: 5 Stars
I came across this movie by accident and I was pleasantly surprised. Marianne Faithfull plays the part of "Maggie" who is an older, rather "frumpy" woman (as she describes herself) who is widowed and who has very limited means and opportunities. Her grandson is sick and possibly dying, and the family desperately needs to come up with the necessary funds to get him life-saving medical treatment within a few weeks.
It's painful to watch Maggie as she tries to borrow money and is turned down and as she tries to find work and is basically told she is worthless because of her age and her lack of skills and education. As she is walking through the streets of Soho in London, she comes across "Sexy World" which has a sign posted saying that it needs a hostess. Maggie, not realizing that the word "hostess" is a euphemism for the word "whore" in Sexy World (as Miki, the owner, will later explain to her) goes in and applies for the job. Miki -perhaps to the amazement of everyone -gives her the job on a trial basis. What is the job? The job title should be "wanker" and not "hostess". Sexy world has something unique that the other clubs in London don't, and that is two waist-high "glory holes" (I'll stop here). This job does not require the men to see Maggie or for her to see them, so looks and youth are not relevant. Maggie is shown the ropes by Luisa who will later become her friend. At first, Maggie is shocked and repulsed when she finds out what the job entails, but desperation drives her to do it. So Maggie becomes quite accomplished at what she does and even develops a following, prompting Micki to give her the name "Irina Palm". In an odd way, this job gives Maggie the confidence she never had before, and yes, in a sense, Maggie finally comes of age -probably years past menopause. Hey, there's nothing wrong with being a late bloomer.
Miki Manojlovic does a fine job as the club owner, "Miki". Miki seems like a very tough, straight-forward businessman who is only interested in making money in the beginning, but we later find out that in reality, Miki has a heart as well. Had he not, in my opinion, he would never have given Maggie the job in the first place.
This movie is quite moving. I am sure that the message of the film is not to suggest that Irina's new-found profession is desirable or even acceptable. The point of the film is that most human beings will do what they need to in order to survive and to save their loved ones. Maggie handles this very undesirable profession with dignity and quiet resolve. I think that while most of us despise places like "Sexy World" and the people who work in those kinds of places, we forget they they are human, too -human beings trying to make it in this world. Each person has a different reason for why they are there and a different story to tell, but the underlying objective with any of them is survival.
Movie Review: "Two Palms Up" for Irena Palm
Summary: 5 Stars
Long ago I used to listen to the music of Marianne Faithfull so when I accidentally began watching this movie I continued watching not out of nostalgia but because of the enchanting, gentle nature of this middle-class widowed grandmother and her desperate approach to lessening her family's financial burden. My attention was not due solely to the subject matters obvious humor (including the interesting clash of stereo-types) but because of Irena's quietly persistent and dignified manner in seeing her idea through until her financial goal was achieved at which time her grandson then had a real shot at being cured of cancer. Faithfull truly acted the part and the story lines never let her down nor diminished her in stature despite the obvious attempt of others to do so once the true nature of her work was revealed. A touching but very funny story (although admitably not meant for the prudish or those who easily censure others without understanding).Movie Review: LULU
Summary: 5 Stars
This was a wonderful suprise. Someone at my office had told me about this movie and I was curious about watching it. After viewing it, I was glad I made the purchase...very good movie!Movie Review: Marianne is amazing
Summary: 5 Stars
Hand Jobs as a sweet love story. Faithful is tremendous. Her facial expressions are worth an oscar.Movie Review: touchy subject handled with delicacy and taste
Summary: 4 Stars
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.