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Secretary (2002), based on a critically acclaimed short story by Mary Gaitskill and directed by Steven Shainberg, is a very unusual love movie about a very different kind of love. At the center of this story is Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhaal), an intelligent, but very plain young lady who returns home following a brief admission in a mental clinic. Lee tells her personal story through her "tiny throat" as a flashback, but in a manner that slowly lures the audience into the world of BDSM while simultaneously warming them up to the ideas that these relationships are really safe, sane, and consensual. Through her quest for intimacy and her effort to escape her dysfunctional family, Lee accepts a job as a secretary at a local law firm and starts dating Peter (Jeremy Davies), a high school friend from the past. Unable to transform her submissive fantasies into reality with her vanilla boyfriend Peter, she forms a connection with her employer, Mr. E. Edward Grey (James Spader), crossing those lines of labor law that would leave any human resource director speechless. Their mutual attraction quickly develops along a path in which Lee can finally follow her deepest longings for submission into the heights of a true BDSM relationship with Mr. Grey where they both find a place of acceptance, love, freedom, affirmation, expression, intimacy, and security. I like the way the movie clearly illustrates Lee's gradual physical and emotional transformation within this relationship from the ugly awkward duckling to the beautiful poised swan. While most movies dealing with this subject matter have miserably failed by playing into the stereotypical myths commonly associated with the lifestyle by portraying characters with these interests as being brutally sick psychopaths (Blue Velvet, 1986), rapists (Pulp Fiction, 1994), or their relationships as being damned to intimacy failure (9 ½ Weeks, 1986), this movie succeeds with a more accurate depiction of BDSM relationships. Some individuals may find this movie too disturbing or even shocking after seeing a vulnerable young lady at the mercy of a humiliating, controlling boss with what some may think as unusual sexual desires. Also, others who have strong feminist beliefs might find female surrender to be disgusting. However, for those of you who are open-minded, fun-loving, and enjoy dark humor, this movie will more than likely prove very entertaining. I also recommend this film for mature audiences who have fantasized, but never progressed beyond mere cognitions into the world of BDSM. The dialogue, behaviors, spankings, rituals, and innuendos all demonstrate that those individuals involved in the making of this film had a great deal more operating behind the scenes than just some basic knowledge about the lifestyle, curiosity or great movie making skills. Furthermore, I think Director Steven Shainberg did a spectacular job in beautifully developing the intimacy between these two characters and I think this would be no easy exercise to convey in a BDSM relationship. High marks also go to the entire casts who did a fantastic job at performing very convincing roles that are far more difficult to achieve in scripts that are a whimsical mix of truth, drama, and humor. Although this movie toys with the social expectations of love, relationships, and intimacy, it does a remarkable job at creatively exploring the delicate balance between pain and pleasure; control and surrender; and dominance and submission. And, it is almost unbelievable how Steven Shainberg meets these unusual goals using the romance comedy style of a nontraditional chick-flick. Finally, he is able to capture the deep levels of love, trust, and intimacy that are often discovered in these types of relationships. In my opinion, the one drawback to the film is its depiction of the submissive character as having mental health issues. Though I am certain that individuals in lifestyle relationships would also have their share of mental health issues, I would anticipate that these problems would be no more or less than those individuals in vanilla relationships. Nonetheless, if you are a fan of original, independent cinema, this creative gem is definitely one for your collection as it won the IFP Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay, a special award for Originality at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival, and Maggie Gyllenhaal took home the Boston Film Critics Best Actress Award. Whether you are vanilla, lifestyle or just plain kinky, I think most individuals will find this movie to be sexy, fun, smart, humorous, and very entertaining. If you are yet to view this movie and you think it may appeal to you, I strongly encourage you to buy the DVD. If you are yet to see this film, please do not to wait to view it for the first time on the Oxygen Channel as it will be cut to pieces and you will not likely feel the full power of its intended hard thrusts. email this review to a friend
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