“Irina Palm” follows an aging widow named Maggie (played by singer-actress Marianne Faithfull) who takes a job as a “hostess” in a London sex club in order to pay for a lifesaving medical treatment for her grandson. In the process, she becomes more confident and learns to stand up to her judgmental gal pals.
Director Sam Garbarski has described the project (his second feature-length work) as “a sort of non-politically-correct romantic tragicomedy,” although it’s more of an overly brooding, red-light-district version of 2003’s “Calendar Girls” with few chuckles and little romance.
Like that film (in which a group of grey-haired women raise funds for a hospital by posing nude in a calendar) this one appears to be going after a combination of laughs, sympathy and squirms from its audience by daring to put a “mature” woman in a sexually charged situation. Unfortunately, “Irina” suffers from a few too many afflictions to make her desirable.
The screenplay, by Martin Herron and Philippe Blasband, doesn’t develop its characters or plot sufficiently, relying instead on broad sketches (the shady pimp boss with a cold heart, the icy daughter-in-law, etc.) and obvious developments (e.g. Maggie’s son’s disgust upon discovering her secret).
Without this solid foundation, viewers aren’t able to form a strong emotional bond with the protagonist, which makes the graphic details of Maggie’s sex work, oh-so-atmospheric electric-guitar score and slow-motion shots feel like cheap shortcuts meant to engineer viewer responses (outrage, discomfort, sorrow) where they don’t spring forth organically. (And don’t get us started on Maggie’s budding “romance.”)
Of all the cast and crew involved in this flick, Miss Faithfull fares the best. The former Rolling Stones muse somehow manages to imbue her character with dignity amidst all the dirty dealings — yet at times, the actress overdoes her “eww, gross” and “boohoo” facial expressions.
Subtlety, it seems, is not a specialty of “Irina Palm.”
*
TITLE: “Irina Palm”
RATING: R (for strong sexual content, nudity and language)
CREDITS: Directed by Sam Garbarski. Written by Martin Herron and Philippe Blasband.
RUNNING TIME: 103 minutes
WEB SITE: www.irinapalm-themovie.com
MAXIMUM RATING: FOUR STARS
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