Secretary (2002)

Directed by Steven Shainberg. Starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, James Spader, Jeremy Davies, Lesley Ann Warren, Stephen McHattie, Jessica Tuck. [R]

A mentally-disturbed young woman (Gyllenhall), fresh out of a psychiatric institution, applies for a job as secretary for a peculiar lawyer (Spader), a work dynamic that tentatively develops into a BDSM relationship. A tone that’s as cautious as it is fearless is the key to this kinky (yet surprisingly tender) black comedy, which treats its subject and characters seriously while recognizing the absurd humor involved. When it comes to the psychology of the domination/submission roles each participant embraces, the script neither suggests that it’s the cause of nor solution to their troubled neuroses, and the characters’ shared acknowledgment is playful and self-aware without resorting to outright winking. That the basic structure of the film resembles that of a fairly traditional rom-com, right down to the “other man” in the form of timid Davies, feels less like a surrender to formula than a recognition that this sort of relationship—and all the bondage and spanking it entails—may seem aberrant to outsiders (especially repressed, cloistered ones), but can be perfectly normal to those who partake in these kinds of adventurous proclivities. The fact that Spader’s character is named “Mr. Grey” makes it even more (unintentionally) humorous and insightful today. Written by Erin Cressida Wilson (with co-story credit to director Shainberg), based off a Mary Gaitskill novel.

75/100