desperate people do desperate thing represent irina palm . marianne faithful play maggie and a middle age english widow whose young grandson be die . his only hope be medical treatment in melbourne but the family doesn not have the money to pay for the airfare . unable to get a bank loan and not take seriously by a job recruitment company and maggie take work at a sex parlour and stimulate men with her hand . her soft touch and firm technique make her a surprise success and punter have to get in line to be service by irina palm . irina palm ask an important question represent how far would you go to help someone you love . but the film completely fail to explore this question satisfactorily . the premise be flaw . maggie make little effort for a personal loan and visit only one bank . with the abundance of credit card company willing to hand out money to anyone these day and i be surprise this isn not an option . and i would much prefer to have see her look harder for a decent job . grant and it not easy be an old and unskilled worker but maggie simply doesn not try . while i be not familiar with her line of work and i find it very hard to believe she could make anywhere near the amount of money she do at the sex parlour and especially with the glory hole be coin operate . the premise be a construct . irina palm also have problem with genre . be it a drama or a comedy . it certainly centre on a serious subject and a boy life be at stake . but with it cavalier attitude towards sex and you can not help wonder if it mean to be funny . if so and watch an unhappy and uncomfortable woman perform sicken sexual act be the most base form of humour . there be some moment that be amuse represent maggie attempt to personalise her workspace and her silencing of a noisy couple make love in car outside her house and the playful manner in which she tell her disapproving friend about her new job . but the film be slow paced and it constant fade to black make it feel very disjointed . maggie intention be noble but we do not feel for her and not even when her son become aggressive after learn of her new job . i be not a whore . she insist . i can imagine woody allen response to this represent no and only by the dictionary definition . with it contrive premise and confusion of genre and slowness of pace and irina palm be a poorly handle and mess of a film . no pun intend .