Irina Palm (Sam Garbarski)
We often hear sorted stories of those, in their younger years, needing to do this or that “for the money.” Whether it be a posting on YouTube or a naked picture, those initial sacrifices seem to come back to haunt those who after a time, have made a life for themselves in the spotlight.
In the case of Maggie, she never was never visible in her earlier days. And now as a middle-aged widow, she’s not only invisible to many, but she finds that she has no skills to get the run-of-the-mill job and she’s deeply in debt.
With a grandson who’s dealing with a dangerous disease that has run out of options for a cure, the only hope left is to send him to a clinic in Melbourne, Australia. She’s desperate to raise the money in any way she can, and her search leads her to a world she never dare step into before.
It is within a sex club that not only does Maggie, or Irina Palm, find her calling, but she also finds her own power, along with the ability to make the money needed for the family. At first, you’re not sure she can make it through her first “hand job” session, but after a while this lurid act almost comes as second nature to her, working an assembly line of a different kind.
She transforms before your eyes, taking on more respect for herself from the most unlikely place that is usually thought to be disrespectful.
Her secret almost becomes something she uses as a plaything, toying with the curiosity of her neighbors. You find yourself rooting for her, as she comes out of her quiet, almost victim-like shell and confronts those who would have otherwise pushed her over.
This is not to say that she doesn’t suffer some consequences of her actions. But the strife and complications seem worth it in the end.
In a 2007 interview with Daily Mail, Marianne Faithful, now playing the role of women in her 60’s who has come to the end of her financial rope in this film, stated that living life as if there’s no tomorrow finally caught up with her in real life. “Saving simply wasn’t part of the equation. Money didn’t matter to me – so much so that I don’t own anything. I haven’t got a house or a mortgage or a car. I’m still renting – at 60!”
But as in life and as Irina Palm, Faithful is still a hot mamma. And in this role, she’s still a superstar.
