Sadomasochistic spanking, bondage and degradation are on full display in “Secretary,” a darkly comedic peek into the minds of two people who embrace each other’s pain in order to deal with their own.
Director Steven Shainberg crafted an unsexy view of human sensuality and the games people play to cope with the struggles of everyday life, and undoubtedly viewers will find themselves uncomfortably laughing at the naughty scenes between stars James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal.
Although some people may find the kinky interactions between a boss and his secretary–or a master and his slave–to be quite disturbing, the powerful performances of Spader and the utterly magnetic Gyllenhaal will draw audiences in and bind them to their seats for the duration of the film.
“Secretary” follows Gyllenhaal’s emotionally unstable character, Lee, as she wrestles with life outside a mental institution.
In order to deal with her pain, Lee secretly cuts herself so that her misery can bleed out to the surface and she can watch the wound, and her psyche, begin to heal.
Her home life, however, prevents any healing from taking place, and in a desperate attempt to gain some control in her life, Lee applies for a secretary’s job with Spader’s character, an isolated lawyer named E. Edward Grey.
Mr. Grey takes an immediate liking to Lee and quickly begins to exert his authority over her, ordering his new employee to perform menial tasks like digging through the garbage and replacing mousetraps.
In time, however, Mr. Grey and Lee form an unlikely bond, and along with the daily chores of letter typing and dictation come spankings, shackles and masturbation.
More realistic than racy, “Secretary” revolves around the notion that pain–both physical and emotional–is something that should be welcomed and not shunned.
Spader’s quirky personality shines as a man simultaneously saturated in anger, pleasure and shame, but the real star of the movie is Gyllenhaal.
As Lee, Gyllenhaal blossoms from a listless girl drowning in sadness into a confident woman who knows exactly what she wants and who she wants to give it to her.
Fans of the erotic will be somewhat disappointed as the movie concentrates more on emotions than physicality, and even though this provocative film is fueled by sordid subject matter and the unbelievable performances of Spader and Gyllenhaal, “Secretary” is more shrewd than lewd.