Project Detail

Irina Palm

Synopsis

Middle-aged Maggie must find a way to get enough money for her grandson's lifesaving medical treatment. With all financial resources exhausted, Maggie tries her best to lift the dwindling hopes of her only son Tom and his wife Sarah.
 
When a 'Hostess wanted' sign catches her eye, Maggie naively stumbles into a city sex club. The true job description is quite a surprise for the respectable middle class widow, even if she isn't a prude. But unskilled Maggie accepts this as her fastest way to urgently needed cash and her very last option, having already sold her own home to pay for little Olly's hospital bills.
 
Shy Maggie has a rough start at 'Sexy World', more than just a train ride from her conservative suburb. Wisecracking colleague Luisa shows her the ropes and the two strike a touching friendship. Tough guy owner Miki, a real ladies man, reveals a soft spot for dutiful Maggie, and transforms her into the much-in-demand and lucrative Irina Palm.  Maggie outrageously proves to herself that she's not so old and useless after all.
 
Maggie's double life quickly attracts the attention of her gossipy neighbour's prying eyes. The headstrong woman remains steadfastly discreet, keeping the money's origins secret from even her own suspicious son. But discovery is inevitable and Maggie must confront provincial hypocrisy's ugly face, as well as question her own morals. As she holds her head high, gracious Maggie just might find more than family love.

Details

Year
2008
Type of project
Features
Running time
103 mins
Format
35mm
Director
Sam Garbarski
Producer
Sebastian Delloye, Diana Elbaum ,Thanassis Karathanos, Karl Baumgarner, Jani Thiltges, Claude Waringo, Christine Alderson
Editor
Ludo Troch
Screenwriter
Martin Herron, Philippe Blasband
Director of Photography
Christophe Beaucarne
Composer
Ghinzu
Principal cast
Marianne Faithfull, Miki Manojlovic, Kevin Bishop, Siobhan Hewlett, Dorka Gryllus, Jenny Agutter, Corey Burke, Meg Wynn-Owen, Susan Hitch, Flip Webster
Sound mixer
Thomas Gauder

Genre

Categories

Production Status

Production Company

Entre Chien et Loup - Belgium

Pallas Film - Germany
Samsa Film - Luxembourg
Ipso Facto Films - UK
Liaison Cinematographique - France
Ateliers de Baere - Belgium
RTBF Television - Belgium

Sales Company

Pyramide International

5 Rue du Chevalier de Saint George
75008 Paris
France

T +33 1 42 96 02 20

www.pyramidefilms.com/pyramideinternational

Page updates

This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

See also

You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.

A Night in Porto A Night in Porto

Director: Antonio Sequeira, Anastasiia Vorotniuk

Year: 2026

Two former lovers unexpectedly reunite on a Christmas night in Porto. Their encounter sparks a reflective journey into whether life offers second chances at happiness.

A young girl with the lights of an amusement arcade behind her Amusement

Director: Stephanie Zari

Year: 2026

With the clock ticking on her trip to the amusements, a downbeat ten year old girl needs to act quickly to make her funds count and win her dream prize, but she hasn’t contended with the self-appointed king of the amusements and his attempts to thwart her simple plan.

A young man, sits alone in a cafe, deep in thought. A bouquet of disregarded roses in front of him. The Game

Director: Blaize Mott

Year: 2026

Donald, a lonely young man desperate to improve his dating life, hires a manipulative pick-up artist, Charles, to teach him how to meet and attract women. Over the course of one night in London, Donald is pulled into a world of performance, pressure and control, where confidence becomes coercion and desire begins to blur with power. What began as a harmless lesson on love transforms into a night where the methods he is instructed to use to achieve his goal are far darker than he could have ever imagined.