I must admit it took me a few minutes to warm to this brilliant piece. Marianne Faithfull in 2007 didn't seem to have much screen presence. After ten minutes or so that awkwardness didn't matter a drab, and the show took off on such a remarkable tangent that I was captivated, and, with full credit to the production team here, never wavered. The cast, and that is everyone including the punters, was brilliantly chosen. The story is carefully plotted and original and also never wavered. Marianne Faithfull ended up doing a brilliant job, accurately reflecting a woman's turmoil and adversity, and sometimes winning, as she labours through her challenging journey. I loved the family as well, and the manager's role was also a deft touch, played with conflicting allegiances to a tee. The roles of various friends was a luminating side angle that gave everything a real world validity. What we have here is a little London gem, full of unexpected heart, an important examination of a suburban topic rarely investigated, and a truly stirring message of hope against the odds. I don't live in England so I don't know of Health Department difficulties, and, of course, that may have changed by now, but this wonderful movie also brings a tragedy to light in that regard. All up Irina Palm pretty much made my evening. Bravo!
Review of Irina Palm
