“Irina Palm” (2007) Capsule Review

Mick Jagger’s old squeeze really gets to grip with the title role in this British character study.  Marianne Faithfull plays Maggie, a repressed widow so desperate to raise funds to save a dying grandchild that she takes a job as a sex worker.  While the premise could easily lend itself to either pornography or farce director Sam Garbarski produces an engaging drama, exploring how Maggie ironically finds liberation in the most exploitative of industries.

Faithfull’s subtle interpretation of a part that could not be further removed from her own infamous life story is matched by that of co-star Miki Manojlovic as Maggie’s boss and potential love interest. The rest of the cast - save Jenny Agutter - are negligible, and the musical score is annoyingly one note, but these are minor flaws.