Inclubabu Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

BoardChiri Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

Breakinger A Brilliant Conflict

Darin One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

aspergian Those that find the film all of the above would probably tell you that they admire it because it is an exploration into the self. It's all about the inner dialectics of the infinitely subjective human condition, self liberation, know thyself, etcetera, etcetera.The deep "academic" stuff aside, it's really about is a mentally ill woman who happens to like hurting herself (cutting) who gets exploited by her employer who happens to be a sadist. There's lots of sex in it and it is deeply symbolic, but it's just not that interesting or emotional, unless you have sado-masochist tendencies. It's a twisted film for twisted people. I'm sure they would agree.

life_is_deth Released in 2002 to a low rumble of critical attention, and touted as a film that brought BDSM to the masses, I had dismissed Secretary for quite some time as some kind of mass-appeal erotica - a 50 Shades- esque film that people drag their spouses to for some mild titillation before bedtime.Happily, I was wrong. Oh, how I was wrong.What Secretary appears to be, and what it actually is, are two very different beasts, and I dare say that it was misrepresented in its marketing in an attempt to catch a wider mainstream audience - it is far from a mainstream movie, and it certainly isn't bargain-basement titillation. What is ostensibly described as 'a film exploring the relationship between a dominant man and his submissive secretary' (thank you, Wikipedia) is actually an incredibly quirky, often unsettling, and always unpredictable look at the lives of two deeply troubled individuals, and the story of how they manage to find, amidst the chaos of their individual minds, a welcoming embrace in the chaos of one another.Maggie Gyllenhaal, in the role that brought her mainstream attention, is Lee Holloway, a woman with a history of self-harm, just released from psychiatric care following a nervous breakdown. Upon her re- entry to the real world, Lee quickly falls back into her old habits after failing to deal with the stresses of her fractured family and her inadequacy relative to her sister, and in an effort to broaden her horizons, takes typing lessons and applies for a job as a secretary for James Spader's enigmatically- named lawyer, E. Edward Grey (thankfully no relation to the Grey of '50 Shades'). Lee is a tender creature, constantly battered by the harshness of her environment, and seemingly not built to weather the ups and downs of her daily life – a fragility that Gyllenhaal, to use a dreadfully clichéd but apt term, embodies. I chose my words carefully when I said that she is Lee Holloway, as from her first moment on screen it becomes truly difficult to make the distinction between the performer and the performance, and Gyllenhaal has since admitted that she took aspects of the character home with her without intending to. She strikes a deft balance between disturbing and endearing, mixing a gentle sweetness and naiveté in a coy smile and a shy glance with a darkness that is largely hidden from the audience, internalised, and manifesting in either her self-harm, or channeled into a carnal confidence in her growing experimentation with BDSM.But in BDSM, as in sensual Latin dance, it takes two to tango, and Gyllenhaal is matched and countered by a near-inconceivable level of oddity from James Spader, who performs his own balancing act in one of the best performances of his career as Lee's deeply eccentric boss – a lawyer existing solely for his work and for his delicately tended orchids. Spader's Grey is almost completely opaque in his motivations, shunning any kind of deeper emotional connection with others, and from the outset he appears to be, for lack of a better term, a complete bastard. But, wooed by Lee's almost indefatigable desire to follow commands, he one day chooses to punish her for repeated spelling errors by spanking her across his desk, a directive that she hesitantly but willingly follows. From here their relationship unfolds as Lee begins to crave this outlet for her pain and the connection she feels with Grey, while Grey himself struggles with disgust at his sexual habits, and his fear of emotional connections.The world of Secretary almost feels like a Terry Gilliam fever dream. It seems to exist in no single decade, simultaneously modern and retro in its technology and aesthetic, and Steven Shainberg's direction pushes his actors to shed all inhibition in pursuit of his bizarre pseudo-reality, and to great effect. It's a peculiar world filled with recognisable features and colourful, broken characters, but remains distinct from any single real point in time, and this style and slightly unhinged perspective helps one feel as if it's not the characters of the film that are out of place, but you yourself. The film reveals honestly from the get-go that the content found within might not be something that you're familiar with, and that it's up to you to fit in, not the other way round. One repercussion of this is the occasional feeling that the film progresses in an almost stream-of-consciousness manner, and it can be hard to decipher the motivations behind some of the more bizarre choices made by the characters, but, for all that happens, and the peculiar nature of many of the scenes, it's surprisingly easy to follow the general flow of the narrative.In saying that, Secretary isn't always an easily digestible film and can be quite dark in its themes at times, but it's an unconventional exploration of an unconventional topic, and in pulling BDSM out of the dungeon and into the office, and throwing in a good deal of quirky humour and real pathos, it throws a light on the subject and attempts to explain it, at least in this context, as a way for two alternative people with alternative tastes to find their own special place in the world at each other's side. Secretary speaks of human relationships - of fear, and trepidation, and uncertainty, and mistrust and of other such baggage that we all accumulate in life - and challenges us to reflect on the fact that regardless of the thoughts that threaten to destabilise us, be they fleeting or chronic, ingrained or accumulated, 'normality' is but a construct, and if you can find someone out there who fits you like a glove, then even the most unconventional person can hope to build normality for themselves.

ncallinicos This film at times was slow. Yet in those slow moments I found myself lost in thought. The acting was suburb in the sense that you can feel the awkward sexuality through the film. I'm to guess that most of us have not been in a situation such as depicted in the film. For those that have I can not answer their opinions on this film, but I at times was uncomfortable, yet intrigued. It's an unconventional story of love, and who's to judge? All kinds of different things make different people happy. Mentally disturbed and maybe a bit too dedicated of a women, but who cares as long as she's happy in the end. We should all be so lucky to have some one so dedicated to us. Hopefully we are nicer to them, but whatever works I suppose. I'm going to say this is a definite watch, but not for those who don't feel like thinking at the moment or those who are not open to a bit unorthodox sexual situations.

ironhorse_iv From a guy perspective, this hanky spanky romantic movie was a little too odd for me, to really like. It's not really my cup of tea. However, it's not bad enough, to dislike, as well. Also, it's not as bad as 2015's 'Fifty Shades of Grey' which I found to be, a huge rip off of this film. Directed by Steven Shainberg & based on a short story from 'Bad Behavior' by author Mary Gaitskill. The film written by Erin Cressida Wilson explores the sexual relationship between a sexually dominant boss, E. Edward Grey (James Spader) and his awkward submissive secretary, Lee Holloway, (Maggie Gyllenhaal) originally named Debby Roe in the novel. Without spoiling the movie, too much, the movie does significantly expanded from the original short story, with many changes; giving greater depth in order to be made into a feature length film. Lines of dialogue were changed to lighten the mood, and additionally, the ending of the story was changed to give a more positive outcome to the relationship for the better. Shainberg stated that he only wished to show that BDSM relationships can be normal. Sadly, I don't think, most audiences see that, due to the close minded blind nature of what is deem normalcy in modern society and certain misrepresentation and lack of knowledge getting in the way. There is a huge gap of miscommunication, between the large amounts of viewers is seeing, with what the filmmakers is trying to say. While, at first glance, it looks like the movie is preaching that men should always be dominant & women should always submissive. In truth, the film is trying to say, the opposite. BDSM can be consensual. Yet, the movie rarely show that. The character of Lee is supposed to show that women in these relationship has a choice to give up her actual physical and mental power for love. Many people who have submissive desires, find themselves empowered when they are able to experience those desires with a caring partner. Furthermore, the character is acting as the strong emotional center, allowing her strength to dominate the dominant, while on the surface make it seem like the dominant has all the control. In truth, Edward is more submissive than Lee is. It's more common in relationships, than people think. It's called power exchange. I guess, the movie is trying to say, for the first time in her life, Lee has control of what she wants out of her life. Yet, it wasn't well presented in this film, with her being a doormat, most of the film. The movie, only explore her choice, in a few small scenes toward the middle. While, the subject matter, might somewhat offend some people, there's no shame in having a dominant/submissive relationship as long as nobody is getting hurt by it, and both are consensual. There is no need to police, what individuals like to do in the bedroom, but I really couldn't get behind this film, as a whole, because the film doesn't really show Lee and Grey share anything other than their fetishes. A longing to really understand each other, besides the fetishes, would really made this film, less creepy and disturbing. It's really needed more character development. The development of the relationship between the main characters is marked by the length and quality of the silence between them. It was somewhat boring. Still, I kinda like the actors that they got for this film. I just wish, the acting in the film was a little better. They were kinda mediocre, at best with their dry and annoying delivering. I just glad, that their sex scenes, together were a little tasteful, than graphic. The front end nudity in this film isn't that bad, as people make it out to be, when you finally see it. Yet, the masturbating scene can be a bit funny looking. Watching James Spader jacking off, seem odd to me. Despite that, both James Spader & Maggie Gyllenhaal's characters really does seem, like they're people that would sexual aroused by these vincilagnia actions. While, it can be argue that this film can help cure some psychological problems. Still, it's not appropriate for people to think that sexual harassment at the work place is OK, because of this movie. In my opinion, I would rather have the original ending, with the protagonist quitting, feeling disgusted, and then being called by a reporter digging for dirt after the lawyer announced he was running for mayor than the happy ending. Why? Because that, is the more realistic ending. The ending, we got, is just too much of escapism fantasy. It's an unusual choice in direction. I don't like, how they change the lyrics of the song 'Chariots Rise" by Lizzie West to fit the mood. Very lackluster and unsatisfying. Overall: This romantic black comedy is meh at best. I really can't complain too much about it. At least, it's better than 'Fifty Shades of Grey'! So, spank you very much, for that. I guess.