Even though it hasn't been a great year for handjob movies, this is still the best one going so far. It's even named after the handjob queen herself, Irina Palm. Marianne Faithful is Maggie, a grandmother of a sick little boy who needs a life-saving operation in Australia. With the boy's parents unable to come up with the funds for a plane ticket and accommodation, Maggie reluctantly takes a job in a sex club as an anonymous masturbator of men. She turns out to be so popular and such a natural that the other girl doing the same job gets fired. The sex club boss, who develops a soft spot for Maggie, starts marketing Maggie as 'Irina Palm', and laughs all the way to the bank. For a while, anyway. Complication do arise when Maggie's bombastic son learns that his mum is turning tricks with her hand. There are health consequences to the work, too, such as contracting "penis elbow", and being forced to use the left hand when the working hand is forced into a sling. "Irina Palm", which is a pretty dour, depressing drama, is perked up occasionally by some black humor and sharp characterization. It's a little too slow at times, and Faithful is not the most exciting actress, but it's an eye-opening "true story" that can't be accused of being limp.
Review of Irina Palm
