Just perfect...

How sad is this?

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

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.

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.

The most wonderful part of being stuck inside due to inclement weather is finally getting to items on your watchlist that have been there for years. Being a big fan of James Spader and an even bigger fan of Angelo Badalamenti, Secretary, the 2002 film by Steven Shainberg is one I have wanted to see for ages. Starring alongside Spader is the brilliant Maggie Gyllenhaal as a woman recently released from a mental institution who rebounds with a job as a secretary which soon turns sexual. The film handles its sadomasochistic theme in an equally represented way avoiding victimization that would usually accompany such a theme.Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is a troubled young woman with an unstable family life, recently discharged from a mental institution for cutting herself when she attempts to re-enter the world by finding gainful employment. When she answers a help wanted ad for a secretary to a lawyer, Mr. Grey (James Spader). Mr. Grey is a complicated individual with clear obsessive compulsive tendencies. At first, Lee is praised as she performs her job quite well, pleasing Mr. Grey. As their relationship continues, he begins to display some sadistic sexual proclivities, enticing Lee. As their relationship continues, it is as if they are on a constant roller coaster with Lee trying to learn how to profess her love forMr. Grey, and Mr. Grey attempting to reign in the sexual tendencies he is so ashamed of. The two grow and feelings develop until it becomes clear that they may be just what the other needs to accept their lives.Secretary is one of the best films to study for performances. Both Spader and Gyllenhaal give masterful performances, each brilliant in their respective roles. Admittedly, I watched Secretary for Spader but was blown away by the subtle depth Gyllenhaal gave to her wounded, yet, determined recovering fragile character. There is always a victim when overtly BDSM sexual natures are explored in film, Secretary avoids this pitfall creating a solid film and a wonderful character study often neglected in mainstream cinema. Badalamenti also lends his musical talent in a brilliant way, as well.

Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhaal) leaves institutionalization to attend her sister's wedding. She has been harming herself since the seventh grade. Her father is an abusive drunk to her co-dependent mother. She reconnects with Peter (Jeremy Davies) who had a mental breakdown of his own. She gets a job as a secretary to attorney E. Edward Grey (James Spader). She finds comfort in the menial and sometimes demeaning tasks. Eventually, they develop a special relationship.These are interesting characters. The movie keeps a sense of sexiness while maintaining a low level of tension. It would have been great to have a higher level of tension. Maggie Gyllenhaal is amazing. It just doesn't have a great sense of danger. It's not titillating. It's a nice character study but I'm looking for something more.