There's always room for movies to explore the alternative side of conventional morality. But "Irina Palm" does so more conventionally than it realizes.

The movie stars Marianne Faithfull as middle-aged Maggie, whose young grandson's last hope for cancer treatment requires travel to an Australian medical facility. Forced to find money fast, Maggie takes a deep breath and applies for the job of "hostess" at a sex club in London. But an unseemly job becomes an odd sort of personal triumph when she becomes the legendary Irina Palm, an unseen presence with special qualities that have the customers lining up for more.

She keeps her moonlighting job a secret from her family as the money piles up. But inevitably, the busybody climate of her neighborhood and the curiosity of her family have to be answered. But by then, Maggie has changed her traditional views of morality and has found a sense of empowerment.

Although director and co-writer Sam Garbarski takes great care in tracing this difficult dramatic path (he has to balance the twin tracks of other people's morality and Maggie's personal course), he can't avoid the predictability. Of course, Maggie's son will be outraged and then get over it. Of course, Maggie will become quietly radicalized.

It is, however, a baby boomer's treat to see Faithfull, romancer of Mick Jagger back in the day and a pop siren in her own right, show her qualities as an actress. One is hopeful she'll find her way to other, better projects.