Secretary

2002

1h 51m

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

1.8K

YOUR RATING

Rate

POPULARITY

Play trailer

1 Video

99+ Images

Romance

Drama

Comedy

A young woman, recently released from a mental hospital, gets a job as a secretary to a demanding lawyer, where their employer-employee relationship turns into a sexual, sadomasochistic one.

Directors

Steven Shainberg

Writers

Erin Cressida Wilson(screenplay by)

Steven Shainberg(story developer by)

Erin Cressida Wilson(story developer by)

Stars

James Spader

Maggie Gyllenhaal

Jeremy Davies

See production, box office & company info

Top cast

Mr. Grey

Lee Holloway

Peter

Joan Holloway

Burt Holloway

Dr. Twardon

Tricia O'Connor

Jonathan

Lee's Sister

Sylvia

Stewart

Paralegal

Allison

Louisa

Jessica

First Secretary

Typing Teacher

Mr. Garvey

Directors

Steven Shainberg

Writers

Erin Cressida Wilson(screenplay by)

Steven Shainberg(story developer by)

Erin Cressida Wilson(story developer by)

All cast & crew

Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Dominance and submission at the office (um... no) RELEASED IN 2002 and directed by Steven Shainberg, "Secretary" is a romantic dramedy about a young woman (Maggie Gyllenhaal) who spent some time at a mental hospital for self-harm (e.g. cutting). She apprehends a job as a secretary to a quirky, arduous lawyer (James Spader) wherein their employer-employee bond turns increasingly sexual in a dominant/submissive way. This is the first mainline film in America to breach the difficult topic of BDSM, walking the balance beam between being either too amusing or too offensive. For those not in the know, BDSM is an overlap of acronyms: BD stands for Bondage and Discipline; DS for Dominance and Submission; and SM for Sadism and Masochism. I didn’t really know the movie tackled BDSM before viewing it; I thought it was simply a romance-in-the-office type flick with maybe some kinky elements. The movie is polarizing, unsurprisingly. I read a few reviews by respectable critics and one was fascinated by it, giving it an incredible 10/10 Stars (Why Sure!), while another wrote it off as a film for sick people, granting it 1/10 Stars. Whilst I find the romance-at-the-office element interesting, I could care less about the BDSM angle. Regardless, the first half is amusing enough and Maggie is a winsome treat, but the second half gets a little too deviant and borders on porn. Yet the movie ends well with a well-intentioned message: This is a story about two people who have an affinity for DS that find each other and their relationship may or may not work (no spoilers). I suppose the movie is trying to get across that pain can be therapeutic as long as it's applied by the right hand with the right intention. Thus two people with an affinity for BDSM can develop a relationship that works, for them. But not me; no thanks. THE MOVIE RUNS 1 hour 47 minutes and was shot in Los Angeles. WRITERS: Mary Gaitskill (short story) and Erin Cressida Wilson & Shainberg (screenplay). GRADE: C-

Wuchak25 Mar, 2018