Secretary Reviews

• Oooo! It hurts so good.

  
  By A2DSXA1E02C86D on 2003-04-17
  The joy of SECRETARY lies in its characters, all of whom are quirky (to say the least). And if you leave the film thankful that you run with "normal" folks, then you probably just don't know the person in the adjacent work cube all that well.

  As the film begins, Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhaal) has just been released from institutional therapy. Lee has a level of self-esteem that's abysmal to the point of involving self-mutilation with sharp objects. (She even has her own first aid kit to disinfect and treat the wounds as soon as she makes them!) And whatever therapy she got didn't stick. But, life goes on, so she takes a typing class, and subsequently lands a job as a SECRETARY for the perfectionist lawyer "Mr. Grey" (James Spader).

  Mutual assessment soon reveals potential for an S&M relationship where Grey is the "S" and Lee the "M". Courting, so to speak, and foreplay involve the boss making increasingly difficult demands of Lee's job performance with the mutual understanding that the latter will fail and punishment will follow. And what's a poor girl to do when making deliberate spelling errors in legal correspondence just doesn't push Grey's lust button anymore?

  Spader's Grey persona is so deliciously creepy - not sinister, just creepy - that his paralegal does her work in such an unusual hiding place that she's rarely seen, even by the audience. And the delightful Gyllenhaal's portrayal of Holloway is so otherwise girl-next-door, except for her preoccupation with cutting edges, that I'm now surreptitiously scrutinizing our office secretaries for barely-hidden scars. And Jeremy Davies is terrific as Lee's nominal boyfriend, the painfully pathetic Peter.

  While SECRETARY was in the theaters, it probably wasn't a film that you would've taken your prim and proper grandmother to see for her day trip away from the assisted care facility. It has some artistically done full-frontal nudity and a couple scenes of X-rated heavy breathing. SECRETARY is a stylish and darkly humorous treatment of a delicate subject that allows the viewer to snicker without the guilty feeling of having been discovered with a dirty magazine. (Of course, if Granny finds it knee-slapping funny, you might want to rethink your assumptions about her younger years.) My only complaint was that the ending is perhaps a little too drawn out and tidy. A snappier, more edgy conclusion would have made the film a perfect gem.

  Now, where did I stash those red, felt tip markers? I have to proof an associate's work.
  
  

• Hollywood goes mainstream with D/s

  
  By A2ITHB2YW2C2YT on 2002-10-11
  Both characters in this first-of-it's-kind movie were well drawn. It's a first because it shows the S/M, D/s dynamic in a sympathetic, caring, humorous way; and it's a mainstream film ... not a parody or cautionary tale.

  E. Edward Grey (an excellent James Spader reminiscent of "Sex, Lies and Videotape") could have used a little more background but that's quibbling. Lee's character was simply marvelous from start to finish. In my small hometown, a few people even applauded at the end. We've come a long way.

  Love comes in all sizes, and the discovery of that love makes an engrossing 144 minutes of film time. I've heard people say these two are "damaged." Really? But aren't we all? And how lovely and whimsical to find another who understands us so well.

  Lee (Maggie Gyllenhaal) blossoms from a repressed, obsessive, unhappy girl into a self-assured woman all because a strange, obsessive, largely unhappy man sees in her the need to be .... herself ... a submissively strong woman who likes to be spanked, restrained, and ordered around. As long as she knows her submission is understood, she is liberated in the true sense of that term. She becomes the powerful one ... all because she accepts who she is. Acceptance and love. Isn't that what most of us aspire to?

  I loved the scene where Lee tries to do the impossible: make a cup of coffee for the new boss who casually demands it. A truly submissive person will understand that scene on a very deep level.

  I'll see this again before it leaves my local theater. And can't wait to buy the DVD when it's available. It's a "feel good" movie with an irresistible twist! :)

  This movie is not for everyone; but I wish I could say it was. It deals with all the relevant themes of a good, complex love story. It just adds a new level ---- and one that's been around in the shadows for a few decades.
  
  

• Simply Wonderful

  
  By A2K2GHY1EKLMRJ on 2003-04-12
  Secretary is absolutely the best film I have seen in a very long time, and one of the best I have ever seen. I won't spend any time going over the plot because, if you're reading this, chances are you already know it. This is the first Hollywood film I have seen that treats BDSM relationships in a realistic, and (most importantly) non-judgemental manner. Many scenes in this film will certainly ring true for anyone involved in the lifestyle.

  The acting is, in a word, superb. James Spader turns in his usual high-caliber performance, and Maggie Gyllenhaal is stunning(and beautiful as well!) She conveys more emotion with a single glance than most actresses could in a lengthy monologue. Jeremy Davies also performs quite well in his rather small part. My only quibble with this film is a very minor one: it would have been nice if the story had given a little more background on Mr. Grey. All in all, a top notch film. I will watch it again and again, and I highly recommend it to all open-minded movie fans. Just keep the kids away from the set while you watch it!
  
  

• A tale of two perverts.

  
  By on 2002-10-14
  Ambitious film concerning a young woman who has been mutilating herself since puberty. (The term is called "cutting", I believe.) Emerging from the nuthouse after an episode in which she cut herself a little too deeply, she attempts to fit into "normal" society by getting a job as a secretary. Her boss (James Spader), running his own law firm, turns out to be as nutty as our heroine: he has a spanking fetish. I admire the way *Secretary* paces itself: it starts with the secretary performing mundane tasks in the law office while cuffed to long, horizontal crosspiece that forces her arms out like clock-hands. The movie then backtracks several months, showing us how we got to this absurdist image . . . then the plot proceeds from there. The film takes its sweet time, not hurrying the incremental development of the relationship between the lawyer and his secretary, thereby sucking us in and spitting out our incredulity. The director is someone named Steven Shainberg, a man who has clearly studied the films of Luis Bunuel. The surrealist setting is the giveaway, above and beyond the kinky subject matter. Spader's office looks like a chamber room in the Marquis de Sade's mansion: red damask wallpaper, exotic orchids everywhere, sanitorium-like corridors, dark paneling. Shainberg achieves -- intermittently -- the Bunuelian effect of "distancing" with his set design, which allows us to more easily swallow the perverted shenanigans of his characters. He also imitates Bunuel by not giving a hoot about "why" his characters behave the way they do. There's some background matter involving the secretary's alcoholic father, prettier sister, and hand-wringing mom, but Shainberg throws these sops out only for conventionality's sake. (The girl never "makes the connection" that she cuts herself because she wants her father's attention, blah blah. Very good -- but why not leave out the family background altogether? It wastes time.) The film's biggest demerit arises from its virtues. The distancing required to prevent all this from being merely offensive also distances us from the film's theme, which is that "normality" is relative, and that there's always someone somewhere in the world who can love you for the very things that would turn off everybody else. Bunuel was able to pair perversion with poignance; Shainberg doesn't QUITE pull it off. But he's close. He's a director worth watching. -- The actress who plays the secretary, Maggie Gyllenhaal, is perhaps the BEST thing about the movie. Physically and otherwise, she's one-of-a-kind, and that also helps to make this character more believable and sympathetic. She's also brave as hell. Spader has more difficulty with his part, perhaps because he feels he must overcome his handsomeness by acting a little weirder than he has to. But give him credit for even taking on the role, which must have been an agent's nightmare when this screenplay was kicked around Hollywood.
  
  

• Finally a romance that breaks the mold

  
  By AEM0D3OFOR9RQ on 2003-06-09
  It really has been awhile since a smart, sly, and extremely sexy romance has come along. It's not the S & M side of this movie that makes it refreshing (although it is personally something new to me). It's the way the subject is handled with taste and style. Maggie Gyllenhaal in one of her first starring roles, gives a startling and real performance as Lee, a troubled woman just out of the mental institution. To help steer herself towards sanity again, she takes a job as a secretary with lawyer E. Edward Gray (James Spader, who although is playing a character similar to the one in 's,l,&v', plays his role wonderfully). At first the work is pretty typical but then he begins reprimanding her for typing errors and the like. It starts out mild but it soon escalates to spankings. And Lee likes it. Her relationship with Gray awakens her and she becomes a new and stronger person. But there's trouble in paradise when Gray begins to feel disgusted with himself. There's more but that will remain undisclosed. I'll start off by saying this film is definately not for everyone. But those who venture into the territory will find something in this movie to latch onto. Despite the fact that the cover and opening music scream 'soft core porn', this is a die-hard romance in disguise. So those who are willing to take the plunge, I say, dive right in. You will be, ahem, satisfied.
  
  
• I'd Like That Coffee with a Spanking, Please
  By A2ZHDCYYP1PL2K on 2004-02-10
  "Secretary" is a deliciously off-beat dramedy about an emotionally disturbed young girl (Maggie Gyllenhaal) who gets a job as a you know what for an attorney with his own set of personal problems (James Spader). Soon, she's doing more than typing for him, and he's helping her come out of her reclusive shell.

  This film on paper sounds almost exactly like "The Piano." A young woman is given the choice between a conventional relationship and one that superficially might seem perverse, and opts for the perverse one. In both films, what no-one in the heroine's sphere understands is that the man she's involved with is appealing because he's the only one who seems to understand what she needs.

  "Secretary" is not as sombre as "The Piano," however, though it's not as rowdy as the premise might lead you to believe. It's actually a quite substantive film and only occasionally did I think it faltered somewhat in telling its story (particularly toward the end, when Lee embarks upon her hunger strike). Ironically, in offering herself up for submissive humiliation from her boss, Lee finds the strength she needs to face her own demons and forges a confidence she's never before had.

  Gyllenhall is spectacular, and gives one of those performances that should put her on the map as a serious actress, if anyone is paying attention. Spader is pretty good too, but he's upstaged by Gyllenhaal, who owns this movie.

  Grade: A-
  
  

• Offbeat comedy, treading where others have feared to go
  By A17FLA8HQOFVIG on 2002-11-16
  This film deals with the eroticism of classic dominance and submission. And yet it's a quirky character-driven romantic comedy. Maggie Gyllenhaal stars as Lee, a young woman who has just been released from a mental hospital. Seems she's into self-mutilation and even though her mother hides all the knives in the house, Lee still manages do some surreptitious cuts on her inner thighs with her manicure implements. Soon, she gets a secretarial job for a lawyer, played by James Spader. It's a rather strange office where they still use old-fashioned manual typewriters. Weird details like this keep the story unreal.

  In spite of a rather placid romance with another former mental hospital graduate, Jeremy Davis, there's no doubt that Lee is attracted to her boss, who shows signs of having his own compulsive mental problems. Eventually, she makes some typographical errors. Her boss then has her bend over the desk while he administers a spanking. She's immediately turned on and starts to pursue him.

  The script does well in that it makes the secretary both vulnerable and plucky at the same time. There's a lot of character development. She's a fine actress and seems to own the role. James Spader and Jeremy Davis are excellent as well. The script does not do well when it lapses into dreamy fantasy sequences which slow down the action. It's also longer than it needs to be and makes the same points too many times. And the ending is ridiculous and doesn't grow intrinsically from the plot.

  The best thing about "Secretary" is that it's different and treads where others have feared to go. The tone is lighthearted throughout and there are some real connections between the characters during the erotic scenes. However, it sure isn't for everybody. And some people will find it quite uncomfortable to watch. I enjoyed it but it just had too many faults for me to give it more than a lukewarm recommendation.
  
  

• serious, comic, erotic, and romantic movie!!
  By A51PABAWOMPPW on 2003-06-15
  This movie is not released in Korea. My friend who lives in the states sent me this DVD title a couple weeks ago.

  Secretary is a movie about a woman and man whose lives were not very happy and pleasant and they have lonely souls. They met at work and have a Sadist and Masochist relationship which would be regarded as a very unusual beginning of a romance in a movie.
  It's not easy to tell abnormality apart normality talking about love. I don't even think they have a line between them. People generally say voyeurs and sadomasochists are shameful. However, things can be different just depending on the way you are looking at things and this movie seems to suggest that idea to me.
  The first thing I come up with this movie article is how intricate subject this movie is dealing with. A boss with sadomasochism? And the secretary would love to enjoy the relationship? This movie has turned a sexual harrassment in a work place into a romance. It should be intricate and dangerous. This film has whole serious, comic, erotic, and romantic aspects.
  I am not going to judge this movie rashly because of the S&M relationship. I will watch in an open-minded way and see if there is something I can learn about people and their relations which I didn't know before. I know there are always good chances to meet a good movie with this kind of attitude.
  
  

• crazed shocking amazing brilliant
  By A3JAFLALR0S8CR on 2003-05-31
  This film is a testament to the new and engaging style of indie cinema. Here we have an impossibly slick and beautifully stylized love story on the edge and I'm glad to see that it's appreciated.
  Maggie Gyllenhaal (who I've only glimpsed in Donnie Darko and Adaptation) is stunning. Lee's journey from darkness to light, through what may be seen by many as a dark avenue, is touching and earnest. She learns to live and be comfortable in her own skin, as well as finding the strength to fight for what she wants rather than timidly taking the path others set for her. She plays opposite James Spader (a gifted and beautiful actor) naturally and without a single hitch. Their relationship grows and transforms both characters with utter grace and sensitivity.
  Possibly the most amazing thing about this film is the fact that it never becomes pretentious, preachy or even slightly over the top. It is always honest, true to its characters and often comic, in spite of its rather taboo subject matter.
  Wonderful as the movie is, watching it at home on DVD is not without some difficulty. If you have a player with a sound equalizer, use it. There are quite a few moments when the sound gets very soft and very loud - often back to back.
  
  
• You might laugh, you might cry, but you'll definitely think
  By A3N5XIM9R2OQH0 on 2003-04-06
  "Secretary" is not your mother's movie about a compulsively self-mutilating woman who enters into a sadomasochistic relationship with her overbearing lawyer boss. It's a twisted tale of two people with some serious hangups, who somehow manage to find a connection in the midst of some kinky activities at work. Maggie Gyllenhaal plays the titular self-mutilator, Lee, who upon her release from an institution takes a job as a secretary for the stern E. Edward Grey (James Spader). She clearly has a submissive personality, which Edward seizes upon to exercise his own dominant tendencies. At first he just yells at her when she messes up, but pretty soon she's wearing a saddle and being spanked for making typos. It's pretty therapeutic for both of them, and the S & M activities clearly give Lee and Edward some sort of symbiotic relationship where both can work out their control issues. One could even say it constitutes love, which is an idea that the second half of the movie addresses. It's interesting to watch the way the dynamics of Lee and Edward's relationship develop, but what really makes the movie is the brilliant acting and director Steven Shainberg's keen eye for detail. The whole movie is full of little subleties that had me laughing at the inspired absurdity of it all, and Spader and Gyllenhaal can convey more with a single expression than some actors can in an entire monologue. If you're not amused at the scene where Edward gets turned on watching Lee root through a dumpster, then you'd better check your pulse. The film's bizarre sense of humor is often reminiscent of my all-time favorite TV show, "The Simpsons," but a lot dirtier. If, like me, you're appalled at the near-constant mundaneness of mainstream cinema, you owe it to yourself to check "Secretary" out.
  
  
• A WINNING MOVIE. HERE'S WHY.
  By A3AJH15W5UCRZY on 2003-11-12
  Before being the sexy submissive, she attended the rather superior and notable Columbia University in New York City. That's right, folks. Maggie Gyllenhaal (who plays Lee Holloway) earned her bachelors in English at this well-acclaimed school. But who cares about where she got her acting schools. Man, where did she get those fabulous LEGS that we see on the case cover? But the real question is where in the world did she meet a character like Mr. E. Edward Grey (James Spader)?

  Lee Holloway had just completed some time at a mental institution, where she was sent after her uncontrollable habit of self infliction. Returning back to her imperfect suburban home, she's determined to find the perfect job with her newly developed typing skills. As the incredible typing crackerjack she became, she applies at the small, private law office of Mr. Edward Grey. She gets dropped off everyday by her mother in a typical white station wagon to this ordinary, quaint, small brown firm. But is it really so ordinary? Hidden behind the walls and closed doors is leashed sexual desire. And hidden behind the face of Mr. Grey is a troubled past and self-conflict. But what is it? Will these two screwed-up minds be able to help each other?

  This story of two troubled, isolated souls contains highly arousing yet beautiful dialogue.

  "Now pull up your skirt...I said pull up your skirt...pull down your pantyhose and underwear...I told you I'm not going to -f- you..."

  I guess there's no romantic implication in that given statement but doesn't love always come after pleasure and fun? Well, this film allows that to be true.

  The movie does center on the idea of D&S (dominance and submission) and S&M (sadism and masochism). But we don't really see the actual role-playing and leather and vinyl clothing. However, we do hear the erotic punishment and discipline in the background with the sounds of spanking and cries. AND THAT can be enough to turn you on. Holloway and Grey enjoy this sexual pleasure, but you're in constant wonder, questioning actually how long this play will be able to go on.

  "We can't do 24 hours a day, seven days a week."
  "Why not?"

  I highly suggest watching this movie. You don't need to watch it with your friends. It's enough entertainment to watch it by yourself. Gyllenhaal and Spader act wonderfully besides each other. They keep your eyes wide open...
  
  

• "Secretary" is actually a cute love story about S&M
  By A2NJO6YE954DBH on 2003-07-01
  Believe it or not the word that kept coming to mind as I watched "Secretary" was "cute." This might strike you as strange given that it is a movie about sadomasochism, but this was the word my wife kept using during the last half of this 2002 film from director Steven Shainberg. I checked out "Secretary" because I heard it was "quirky," which is usually not synonymous with "cute." "Secretary" benefits from perfect casting, with James Spader as Mr. Grey, the paralegal, and Maggie Gyllenhaal as Miss Holloway, the titular character. Obviously, when the word "cute" arises it is intended primarily to describe Gyllenhaal, which is important because her character could be written off as a pathetic soul instead of someone who provokes our sympathy (and perhaps our admiration as well).

  Miss Holloway has just been released from a mental institution; she likes to cut herself and the last time she went a bit too far. Now her mother (Lesley Ann Warren) locks up all the knives and the young woman goes off into the world to find her first job. She has excellent typing scores but there is something else that makes Mr. Grey hire her when she goes to her first interview, and several weeks later when she makes an error on a letter we discover what it is: these two were made for each other and soon Miss Holloway is making mistakes on purpose so that Mr. Grey can discipline her.

  There are three things that make this movie work at this point. The first is that Mr. Grey orders her to stop cutting herself. Now her pain is going to be administered primarily in terms of spanking, which is nowhere nearly as dangerous as piercing her flesh with sharp objects. She is, by objective standards, better off under his control. The second is that Miss Holloway never expresses fear over what she is being asked to do. Her complete acceptance, combined with the previous point, aid in our acceptance of the situation. The third is that underneath it all "Secretary" is a standard love story. Two people looking for love find each other and struggle to make a complete connection that will allow them to build a life together. There are other characters in this film, but they are all minor players in the main drama between Mr. Grey and Miss Holloway.

  Long ago we discovered that in a romance film the "I love you" line is almost never those three particular worlds. It is "Here's looking at you kid," "Where are my slippers," or something equally memorable. "Secretary" is no different in that regard, although it is obviously a film where actions speak louder than words. This is the story of two people who have a love that they are able to make work. That is nothing to laugh at, and, indeed, the film saves its funniest moments for a time when the relationship has been resolved. This is, despite expectations to the contrary and the utter surprise of a large portion of the audience, a cute film.

  Final note: Make a point of considering how nudity is used in this film. I think the point in "Secretary" in which the nudity becomes more that brief is rather surprising and it made me think about why it was at that particular point it was used. There is significance to this choice that needs to be appreciated.
  
  

• Dark Humour
  By A1TKYAYESYHIA2 on 2006-03-02
  "Secretary" is an excellent if eccentric romantic story (so to speak) where the main actors, Lee and Mr Grey, played their delicate roles exceptionally well, particularly for Lee in this her first starring role.
  
  Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is a nervous, frustrated, aimless, innocent and vulnerable lady who had recently been released from a mental institution. She has a very low self-esteem and an eccentric habit of inflicting pain on herself. After her release from mental institution, she acquires a secretarial qualification and gets a job at the law firm of E. Edward Grey. Mr Grey (James Spade) is an imperious and perfectionist lawyer. He employs Lee, who stirs dark and shameful urges in him. Mr Grey is a sadist who believes in sexual dominance. He subjects Lee to spanking for minor typing errors which, strangely enough she enjoys. There is natural chemistry between these two unusual characters. Ironically, although Mr Grey is supposed to be the dominant character, it is in fact Lee that exercises immense power on her employer. He in fact needs and desires her desperately.
  
  Some people may find the film disturbing and shocking with an apparently vulnerable lady at the mercy of a fussy and sadistic boss with kinky sexual desires. The submissive character of Lee may present her as someone deserving of protection. Most normal people may find the relationship between Lee and Mr Grey very weird and perhaps unreal, being a fictional creation of Hollywood. However, for those that are open minded and enjoy dark humour, the film should be of a lot of interest. It may also enlighten people that indeed S & M does exist and this brings originality into the film.
  
  
  
  
• Bizarre and Wonderful. I loved it.
  By A2J6MMNWUJQUXS on 2003-04-16
  For some reason, I never wanted to see this film. The movie poster put me off somewhat. I figured it would be just another artsy sex film, but how I was wrong. Its starts as the story of a young woman emerging from a mental hospital and back into her life with a dysfunctional family that is all too real. Unsure what to do with her life, she applies for a job as a secretary at a law firm. But this is no ordinary office and Lee is no ordinary girl. Edward and Lee begin a strange and turbulent work relationship that later develops into a Dominant/Submissive relationship. As the film progresses, it becomes more bizarre. ...

  What makes this film so great is Maggie. She is able to lend an innocent quality to Lee that makes her oddly enduring. Yes, she is submissive and a freak by normal standards, but she is also a demure quiet girl. James Spader is good as well in his role as the sadistic boss that oddly falls in love with her throughout the film. I have to say its one of the strangest romances captured on film and the characters are well-drawn and created in a way that makes them likeable in their own ways.

  "Secretary" is a film some people will hate. Well, I loved it. Its strange and its fabulous. If you like really different movies, this is the one to see.

  I give it two thumps up!
  
  

• One of the best movies of the year
  By A2ZVERVFM25MJT on 2003-12-22
  If you come to Secretary expecting a raunchy comedy full of short skirts and spanking, then you'll be disappointed. If, however, you're a fan of offbeat movies with wonderfully drawn characters then this is definitely worth a look. The story has sado-masochist, withdrawn Lee (Gyllenhaal) take up a job as secretary at the offices of Edward Grey (Spader), a bullying depressive lawyer. As the relationship grows in intensity, spanking included, both Lee and Grey wonder how they can unite their inner turmoil to the way the other makes them feel.

  The acting is brilliant. Gyllenhall really proves that she has what it takes to be an actress of her generation, easily overtaking other talented competition from Kirsten Dunst and Reese Witherspoon. Clearly a beautiful young woman she manages to hold herself in such a way as to make her appear the most dumpy, boring, painfully shy girl you'd ever come across. Sister to Donnie Darko star Jake, she clearly proves herself just as worthy of acclaim as her sibling. Spader takes a pretty similar role to that he had in Crash a few years ago, though here he adds in a kind of profound depression into his bullying ways and really sparkles with his co-star.

  When reviews say this isn't a movie for everyone, that's true. A lot of people like their love stories straightforward, and this is anything but. Laced with dry humour Secretary traces one of the year's most delicate, beautiful relationships as Lee and Grey find in each other exactly what they'd never realised they'd needed their whole lives. The ending will leave you with exactly the right amount of hope for love in a world where only loneliness and self harm seem to be the answer for its characters. Imaginative, different and compelling.
  
  

• A True 5 Star Rating
  By A3V9T7MEXV5WW3 on 2006-02-08
  This is a warm story that paints a very human face on BDSM relationship and gives a long overdo pro-sub portrayal of a woman who fundamentally feels fulfilled and the strongest only when she is submitting.
  
  Maggie Gyllenhaal gives a stellar performance as a submissive woman who is seeking a genuine relationship with a man who is emotional unavailable--but eventually wins his heart.
  
  Gyllenhaal gives a powerful perfomance of the inherent strength and beauty in the submissive woman. Far from being a doormat, Gyllenhaal knows what she wants and won't settle for the man that she is not in love with and who cannot fulfill her sexually, pyschologically, or emotionally.
  
  Sex, smart, and heart warming, The Secretary will make you rethink what BDSM is and perhaps make you want to spank the white off the ass of the woman in your life--with love of course. ;)
  
  
  
  
  
• Surprisingly charming and funny
  By AYMPVLWFKTAYE on 2003-06-08
  Don't let the subject matter scare you, folks! This is a beautiful movie.

  Maggie Gyllenhaal is absolutely adorable and incredibly sexy as Lee Holloway, a young woman who is a cutter - someone who cuts herself to avoid inner pain, to feel she is alive, to take comfort in the pain itself and the healing. She has recently been released from a mental institution for attempted suicide, and is placed into the care of her amazingly dysfunctional family. She begins cutting herself again, until her new boss, E. Edward Grey (James Spader,) slowly brings her into a dominant/submissive relationship. Spader plays Grey perfectly, portraying some of the most genuine inner conflict I have ever seen on-screen. His intensity is unparalleled.

  That's the short story right there, but until you see this film, you won't realie the intensity (there's that word again) of each character's awkwardness with her- or himself, won't release how necessary their relationship is to each of them, and how they come to feel about each other. The story is surprisingly funny and light-hearted both subtly and overtly in places, utterly charming in others, sad in several, and heart-warming overall. The direction is superb, the colors and sets are absolutely gorgeous and rich in color....everything about this film is stunning. It is not shocking, it is not pornographic, but it is sensual and sexual.

  Lee's transformation is, of course, the focal point of the film, but there are other layers to appreciate and savor as well. This is an enjoyable ride that allows those unfamiliar with aspects of BDSM to see a tiny glimpse of two peoples' version of it, but it's also more than that. The "more than that" is really difficult to describe, I'm sorry. But it's a beautiful, tender love story, and I highly recommend it - I'll definitely watch it again.

  The DVD's extra features are somewhat lacking, sadly, but the "Behind the Secretary" bit is fun. Despite the stereotypically dark subject matter, as the "behind" bit states, she is actually travelling a journey from darkness into light - and that's absolutely it. Mr. Grey's office is a sanctuary where orchids grow, and where Lee begins to grow and blossom, too. The long shots down the hallway to his office underline the journey, and are beautiful unto themselves. It's simply a great, great story! Charming! Beautiful! Lovely! Stunning! Almost perfect! [grin]
  
  

• Wish she were my secretary!
  By A3W3O2IA3L0WFB on 2004-01-16
  American movies about personalities are relatively rare, since the focus is rather on the subject. This one is a fine materialization about weird, yet lovely people.

  James Spader taking the role of a yellow man, with all the cynical characters that you might find in a lawyer, as if he was born to play such role, and Maggie Gyllenhaal, the sweet beautiful young actress, is amazing in the role of an accidental secretary.

  Both personalities have strange alienations, maneuvering the sexual (or sensual) relation between them, and developing it based on the courage and tenacious of revealing, though discretely, the freaky approach to interactive with the other became a masterpiece.

  The movie starts with an invitation by Edward (the lawyer) to Lee (the secretary) to the world of submission that found a receptive answer; the sequences of the movie show the development of an S/M relation in a smart funny way, never boring or exaggerating. The scenes are not explicit to the extent of being offensive to normal viewer, because the movie concentrates on the buildup of the relation so you amazingly find yourself watching the hot succession of a love story. Moreover, pushing things to the limits is something usual in such relations, and it has been presented in a very logic way in the film. The determined sacrifices of the sub (Lee) as the last showdown, replied to by the complicated hesitation of the top (Edward) push the revelation to the ultimatum: we love each other this way.

  I really loved this movie, found it very spicy and colorful. With the new wave in cinema, were cost, graphic and technology rating the film and attracting the fans, it is so hard to provide such intentionally (definitely not compulsory) low budget, well made and extremely rich film.

  One minor non-avoidable defect: the joy of watching it for the first time is not repeatable, so if you want to own it, it would be simply for it existence among the collection to remind you about a warm sweet experience.
  
  

• How do you Measure True Love?
  By A14W83HMIRUUQC on 2004-10-23
  Someone commented earlier about whether this movie is sexist. I am rather critical of sexist themes and undertones, but at no point in this movie did I feel a twinge of sexism. Here, the leading lady does whatever she can to fulfill her sexual urges - often by herself, to the point of climax... how often do we see that in movies?
  
  Additionally, the screenplay was written by a woman as was the short story. I guess those who might see this movie as sexist aren't quite appreciating others' need for relationships characterized by dominance and submission. I have no experience with sado-masochistic behavior, dominance and submission role-playing, or any other type of mis-labelled "fetishes." But I do understand that sex is a purely personal idea, expressed as many ways as there are personalities.
  
  Honestly, I was at first a bit shocked by the sexual behavior, and couldn't understand why anyone might find such practice pleasurable. But the cast so ingeniously portrays each character, that it didn't take me long to get over my naivete and see that Lee and Mr. Grey had very personal urges and sexual interests that they understood to be generally "unacceptable," and felt some comfort knowing that they were not alone.
  
  Sex aside (and I did find this movie extremely sexy), what stands out above all else in this movie is the power of love. Sounds corny, I know. But hear me out: (spoilers follow)
  
  Mr. Grey fires Lee, some time passes (days? weeks?), and Lee can't get him out of her mind. She knows she loves him. She abandons her groom-by-default practically at the altar and runs, in her mother's wedding dress, across town to Mr. Grey's office where she storms in and tells him she loves him. She tells him over and over, he refuses to accept her declaration and doesn't return the sentiment. After she repeats "I love you" a number of times and then sits at his desk, he asks her to place her hands on the desk, palms down. He tells her to sit with both feet on the floor and to not move "until I get back." She obliges.
  
  He leaves the office, and we later see him peering through the window to see if she's moved. She hasn't. In one brilliant scene, he uses his cell phone to call his office, and she wants to answer the phone sitting next to her on the desktop. She refuses to disobey Mr. Grey's orders to leave her hands on the desk, and proceeds to try to answer the phone by using her mouth and teeth to remove the handset from the receiver.
  
  It is that scene that "wakes up" Spader's Mr. Grey: he watches her determination, can't believe his eyes, and hangs up his cell phone in disbelief. This makes him a little crazy, as we see him live the next two days in a sort of a daze, and later lying on the floor of his bedroom instead of on the bed. Seems to me he is in shock at the discovery that Lee truly does love him, and he doesn't know what to do about it.
  
  While other viewers consider his demands (of her to stay put) a "true test," it is Lee who is actually testing Mr. Grey: She is determined to make him see that her love is true, and after 3 days, he passes the test. He submits, and is completely captivated by her, treating her like a princess: feeding her, carrying her upstairs, bathing her, washing her hair... loving her all night long.
  
  This is one of the sexiest love stories I have ever seen. The power of love is stronger in this film than in any "traditional" sexy romance movies.
  
  
• Beautiful love story, with a twist...
  By A1UI4AEE3LXDON on 2006-01-04
  First and foremost - this movie is NOT for everyone. "Discipline" is not for everyone. S&M is not for everyone. If however you are one who is interested in this, or at least curious this movie may be for you; if on the other hand, you believe that the lights have to be off to have s-e-x because you can't even say the word without spelling it - you should pass.
  
  What is this movie? A wonderful story about two people who need and love each other. They are both quirky, strange, and by most "normal" peoples standards weird. They are different sides of the same coin, and this movie brings them together.
  
  There are moments, when you'll find yourself laughing out loud at some of the parts - not because they are bad, or unintentionally funny, but because they are truly hilarious and creative. There are other moments when you hurt for the characters in the movie, not because the spanking was "too hard" but because you can see they love each other, but are too shy to admit it (even to themselves); and because of this, nearly lose each other.
  
  The acting is well done, the story is tightly weaved. This is a fine addition to any collection. One might go so far as to say it's a 21st century celluloid Story of O.
  
  (for those just looking for T&A - yes, it has some; but it's much, much more than that)
  
  
• As Close to Reality as it Gets!
  By A1GNMHIC2VM033 on 2003-01-09
  As a woman who actually practices the fine art of D/s in my everyday life, I want to applaud the makers of this wonderfully warm film!! I have seen way too many movies that deal with the emotional aspects of submission as being ones that are entirely negative. This film hit the nail on the head when it showed that submissive women find strength in their surrender.
  It also let the viewer see that Dominant men aren't monsters but just irregular regular guys trying to co-exist with their hidden desires to control their partners in ways that are beneficial to both. I'm no pro at writing so I hope I'm saying this well.....but simply, if you want to gain some understanding of people who choose this alternative lifestyle and how it changes them for the better, see this movie!!!
  
  
• Can't stop watching this unique, superb film
  By on 2003-12-22
  I recently resubscribed to HBO in order to watch "Angels in America" (first-rate, incidentally) and stumbled across SECRETARY. I had never heard of the film, knew nothing about it - which is so rare and wonderful these days to be able to completely form one's own opinion about a film.

  First off, I have now watched the film, or most of it, at least three times over the last week or so (for once, I'm happy with all the repetition on a movie channel). I just can't resist each time I see it listed on HBO's schedule.

  I know the main reason: Maggie Gyllenhaal. I had never heard of her either, and her acting in this film - even her mere presence on the screen - is magnetic, electrifying, multi-dimensional, honest, sexy, smart . . . I may not have heard of her before but I'll be watching whatever else she does from now on!

  Secondly, James Spader, Gyllenhaal's costar, is well cast as her boss, in a role in my opinion played perfectly: perfectly understated, perfectly reserved, perfectly sexy . . . in fact I have now added James Spader to my list of most sexy men in films today.

  If you want a debate about S&M, read some of the other reviews.

  The two important things I believe you need to consider in order to thoroughly enjoy and appreciate this film are:

  (1)Appreciate the comedy! If you can't see the wit and comedy in this film, and appreciate the genius comedic moments of both Gyllenhaal and Spader, (as well as other supporting players) you are missing the point; and

  (2) Don't take the S&M so seriously, but understand that the film supports the reason for it, builds the justification for it logically and intelligently from the start, and successfully transitions the characters based on the S&M relationship to a fitting resolution.

  As stated above, can't stop watching, or thinking about, this unique, superb film.

  And I bet you 10 bucks it will excite most women like me - who despise hard-core porn and find soft-core porn just silly - but will find the sexuality in this film (both mainstream and otherwise) a steamy, sensual, turn-on.
  
  

• A Different Kind of Love Story
  By A3SLA4ADDSYZJ2 on 2004-11-04
  Steven Shainberg's "Secretary" is not a movie for everyone, but it should be. It depicts with honesty and wit a S/M relationship, a kind of alternative lifestyle that is usually used as a punch line or a sick joke. Instead, "Secretary" treats it fairly, and ends up being a fascinating character study of two very damaged people finding love in their own way. It contains wonderful directing and a clever screenplay, and two brilliant performances by James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal.
  
  "Secretary" is the story of Lee Holloway, played to absolute perfection by Maggie Gyllenhaal. When we first meet Lee, she is being released from a mental institution. Lee comes from an unhappy family life, and has been cutting herself since she was fourteen years old. It isn't long before her father's alcoholism and her mother's cluelessness drive her to self-mutilation once again. Realising that she is in a precarious situation, the chronically self-conscious Lee decides to get a job for the first time in her life.
  
  That's when she meets E. Edward Grey (James Spader), a lawyer who has an uncanny connection with Lee's pain. He hires Lee as his secretary, and it soon becomes obvious that Lee finds him attractive. Edward first plays humiliation games with Lee, such as forcing her to look for lost files in a dumpster, which she readily does. Then things get kinkier, as Edward begins to spank Lee when she makes a typo. Much to her surprise, Lee is incredibly turned on by this, and starts to make mistakes just to get punished.
  
  The plot twists much further from there, but I won't give it away. "Secretary" is a duet between two exceptionally gifted actors, and James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal deliver honest and brave portrayals of two people drowning. What you remember most about "Secretary" are the silences, when the camera focuses only on the expressive faces of Spader and Gyllenhaal. You can see the unfathomable depths of Lee's pain on her face, and the love that Edward feels for her and his shame for acting it out on Spader's.
  
  What makes "Secretary" a very important movie is summed up by Lee towards the end of the movie. She says, "In one way or another I've always suffered. But I know I'm not so scared of suffering now. And I've found a way that's right for me." In an age where so many films pass judgement on alternative lifestyles, "Secretary" simply says that this relationship is right for Lee and Edward, is loving and healthy. And what a refreshing thing that is.
  
  
• Mr. Grey, you are one strange cat !
  By A3D6OI36USYOU1 on 2004-01-10
  Oh man, I was gonna write this whole big long review of my new favorite movie but I can't ona counta my hand hurts so bad from spanking my girlfriend last night that it's too painful to type. She said she didn't like the movie but then got real pouty and said she'd "been a bad girl." Well, what could I do?

  5 Sharpies!
  
  

• Delicious and steamy comedy-drama
  By A1SP75XHY3E02G on 2004-09-04
  I suppose I may be impartial due to the fact that this may well be one of my favorite movies of all time, but there is so much beauty in this script, it's hard to refrain from telling everyone I know! This is a movie that is definitely not for everyone but the first time I saw this, it left me wanting to watch it again. Some people will watch this and say "Wow" while others will say "What the hell did I just watch?"
  
  The movie begins with a fabulous performance by Maggie Gyllenhaal in her first starring role, as Lee, a troubled soul who finds comfort in self-mutilation, leaving a mental hospital. After a stint for cutting too deep - "I don't know how I could have misjudged, I've been doing it since the seventh grade..." - she returns home to her dysfunctional family to try to begin life over again with the skills she has obtained from the institute. Soon it seems, everything returns right back to the way it was - her father's out-of-control drinking, her parents fighting, her impulsively wanting to cut herself, but Peter enters and she finds some comfort in her high-school friend.
  
  Lee enters a class in college to learn to type and soon is an efficient enough typist to decide to apply for a job she found in the paper, secretary. James Spader, as attorney E. Edward Grey, who is also fabulous in this movie, enters as the neurotic, offbeat attorney. From the beginning we find that Mr. Grey has his faults - ever wonder why there is a permanent "Secretary Wanted" sign outside his office?
  
  Mr. Grey begins to get more and more "strict" it would seem with Lee, commonly using humiliation as a way to intimidate Lee. One day Mr. Grey sits Lee down and asks her about the cutting - he has several times noticed signs of such. He has a wonderful heart-to-heart with Lee and it is apparent that something between the two of them click as he tells her she will never cut herself again, have her mother pick her up from work and he lets her leave for the day, telling her to walk home through the park because she "requires relief." Lee feels something inside of her and Mr. Grey growing and she senses a form of freedom deep inside herself because her gave her "permission" to do so. But the next day, he is back to humiliating her, which ultimately leads to spankings and a world of sadism and masochism.
  
  The beautiful part of the film finds Lee slowly coming out of her shell and finding more confidence in who and what she is. Mr. Grey brings something out in her that she was not aware she had. Slowly, she finds herself attracted to Mr. Grey and his faults, while Mr. Grey finds that although Lee brings out something in him, he is too conflicted to understand himself. He too cares for Lee, who helps him fulfill his needs, yet he feels disgusted because of what he does.
  
  Then the day comes along in which Mr. Grey decides he cannot continue to live like this - he feels that if Lee does not go, he will not be able to stop engaging in the activity that he, as employer and Lee, as employee, partake. The movie climaxes here and finds two souls lost until they found each other, broken apart. What happens to them? What happens to Peter? I'm not going to divulge any more of this movie as I'm sure I have gone on enough, but trust me when I say that this is a must-see movie. You may not like it, or you might, but just watch it. I guarantee it'll be like no movie you've seen before!
  
  
• terrible, depressing, not believable movie
  By A38W8C0KNTZL5C on 2004-12-08
  I really disliked this movie. And not because I think s&m is "gross" or I don't understand it. In the context of this movie, however, it seemed like the girl was very unhealthy emotionally and that her "boss" was exploiting it big time. If you're into S&M that's cool, but my idea of getting pleasure from pain is not being demeaned by a boss. I find that not believable for one. The spankings? Then it never turns to sex til the end? Give me a break. The girl has a ton of emotional problems, she just got out of an institution, and I find it very disturbing that she is only getting worse by working for this guy and doing all kinds of crazy stuff with him. Maybe all S&M is this dark and messed up, but somehow I don't think so.
  
  Like other reviewers, I know people that do cut themselves in real life. And I know that they wouldn't be in love with some jackass boss they had that spanks them for typos. Seriously. If that happened in real life, you can bet it wouldn't go on for long because someone would find out and report him. And she would be heading back to the mental hospital. I found the end particularly disturbing. She sits there waiting for this jerk and he finally comes after 3 days when she could have been seriously sick. It doesn't seem like he cares about her at all. I did not find this movie fun, sexy, or funny. I found it disturbing, desperate and just plain badly written. Maybe the author shares the feelings of these characters. Or maybe they were trying to write for "shock value." I understand that this is not really sexist, it depicts S&M, but I do not like the way it depicts mental illness as something that is laughable and something you get over just like that.
  
  This movie was marketed totally wrong. I rented it because I thought it would be an entertaining movie about a secretary that has some fun with her boss. That's what the box makes it out to be. But it is far from that. There's not even really any sex in it, not that it was the only thing I was looking for but it may have made this travesty a little more interesting.
  
  A terrible movie that I regret watching. I'm definitely going to stay away from anything this writer puts on film again.
  
  
• Surprise: "Secretary" is a heartbreakingly beautiful comedy
  By A205XI0CN5RMLP on 2005-05-19
  The opening scene of "Secretary" drops the viewer into the middle of the narrative. In a shot that will be repeated 55 minutes later, Lee carries out a variety of office duties with poise and efficiency --despite the fact that she is wearing a bizarre and uncomfortable-looking restraint that holds her arms straight out at the shoulders. The first time around the scene seems odd, almost repugnant; Lee lopes with unnerving calm to (longtime David Lynch collaborator) Angelo Badalamenti's creepy score around a unsettlingly baroque office. Then, abruptly, a title card: "six months earlier". The narrative proper begins.
  
  At first, it's unclear what this circuitous opening adds to the story, apart from an element of suspense that might not be if the events unfolded in strict chronological order: the opening scene presents a big "What?"; we wait anxiously to learn the "Why". What other purpose this scene might serve becomes clear with its reprise. By then a subtle understanding of its context is possible. The remarkable Maggie Gyllenhaal imbues Lee with such supple humanity that the viewer has become more than sympathetic, and understands how much this long-suffering, unassumingly brave woman is enjoying herself, arm-restraints and all. The scene is no longer unsettling, but celebratory. The scene hasn't changed. Maybe we have. Director Steven Shainberg, on the DVD commentary track, says he hopes that his film will do for S&M what "My Beautiful Laundrette" did for homosexuality almost 20 years ago-- increase mainstream understanding. Perhaps it will.
  
  On the same commentary track, the film's writer Erin Cressida Wilson says that the uncertain "Um....." Lee utters after Edward has administered the first blow in the justly famous spanking scene is Wilson's "Favorite line". She then chuckles, and modestly refrains from explaining what she means. Why it's good: Although this pivotal scene is fraught with emotion, Lee's tentative "Um....." is the only line of dialogue in it that acknowledges, even obliquely, what is taking place. Unlike the painfully verbose, excruciatingly clever screenwriters who currently plague independent film, Wilson realizes that what people say may be only tangentially related to what they mean, or are thinking, or what's happening, and that great feeling may lurk behind the most banal or fragmentary remark. "Secretary" is one of the strictest, fullest applications of this principle imaginable (Each page of the screenplay must contain one column each for speech and subtext). Never glib, never clever, just smart, "Secretary" is certainly a comedy of some sort, but it contains nothing that exactly qualifies as a joke. Its minimal dialogue leaves wide expanses in which the actors can and must communicate non-verbally. The leads are up to the task. Gyllenhaal ("JILL-in-hall") and the always watchable James Spader make adept use of the full actor's arsenal: facial expression, posture -watch Lee's gait change in the course of the film-, verbal pauses and inflection create a world of meaning beneath deceptively mundane, often monosyllabic, dialogue. Tune into these actors' peculiar wavelength and be spellbound.
  
  
• Hey, now.....
  By AVNNR8UGT5QGO on 2002-09-25
  Heard the buzz about this one weeks ago (LOVE the promotional poster). The theatre in NYC was 90% full, 2 or 3 people left in the middle of it, but not me. I like to watch the envelope get pushed.

  The film seems to be an essay on "psychologically broken" people
  finding each other and muddling thru "normal life." Practically
  everyone on screen has had some form of emotional crippling which
  keeps them isolated from everyday society. But this is far from a
  "downer," because amidst the angst, there are subtle laughs -- the strange behavior can make you chuckle at the oddest situations.

  It all revolves around a young woman, freshly released from a mental institution, trying to get a grip on reality by signing on as a secretary with one of the strangest lawyers you'll ever meet.

  I hate to give away too much plot, but if you enjoy movies that keep you thinking while it plays with your emotions AND challenges your ideas of acceptable behavior, give it a shot.

  The acting is fascinating, with the female lead (Maggie Gyllenhaal) giving off sparks of extreme courage -- not many women would have taken on a role like this.

  I loved Cronenberg's "Crash" because it was a psychological spinning wheel:you could never clearly predict what anyone was doing or thinking. This runs along the same lines.

  Did I like it? I was in its spell, following it wherever it went,
  and most importantly, I was never bored (a lot like "Mullholland
  Drive")--so yeah, I liked it. Would I see it again & again? Probably not. Would I recommend it? Only to the adventurous -- most regular moviegoers would find this perverse/silly/pointless
  or just plain "bad." (Believe me, it is none of those)

  Throughout the film, I kept thinking "I can't believe a movie like this came out of Hollywood !" It's someone's dark little secret fantasy put up on a big screen for all to see, and the girl's final close-up may sum up the filmaker's message in a nutshell. "Yeah, and what are YOU looking at....?"
  
  

• Edgy and Kinky... and definitely not light entertainment
  By A2I3XS9TO93Q0F on 2003-07-17
  Maggie Gyllenhaal manages to take an incredibly complex role and make it watchable. Lee is a young girl with a history of psychological problems that have led to destructive and suicidal behavior. After a brief glimpse of the sophisticated submissive that she becomes, the story is told in flashback beginning with her release from a psychiatric facility. Coming home to a timid and nervous mother, it's easy to question how effective her treatment was when she immediately takes shelter in her room and reverently fondles the knives that she's used to cut herself in the past.

  She applies for a secretarial job with Edward, a strangely detached attorney played by James Spader (a few years ago this role would have gone to Christopher Walken). It quickly becomes evident that his performance standards are not necessarily within the norms of conventional office conduct, more apropos of a dungeon than an office. But Lee discovers a bond (no pun intended) that she had never before imagined, and the interplay between secretary and boss, master and submissive becomes fascinating to watch. At times it becomes questionable as to who is manipulating who. But it's clear that these are two very strange personalities that have drifted into a very symbiotic and ultimately beneficial relationship.

  If images of sadomasochism and bondage will offend you, stay clear of this. But for a very complex character study, it's difficult to top. I can't necessarily say that I would like to have Edward and Lee as next door neighbors, but it is nice that they could find each other.
  
  

• Maggie Gyllenhaal's amazing performance can't save the movie
  By A33TRNCQK4IUO7 on 2004-01-02
  The mostly stellar reviews that this movie received, and my love of independent movies over summer blockbusters made this movie a must see on my list. When I started to watch this movie I immediately felt that it would be of those that would polarize its audience due to the subject matter and execution thereof, but I hoped that I would be on the side of those who liked it.

  I was shocked only by how bored I was by watching this movie. The movie was marketed as a walk on the wildside of sorts and I kept waiting for it to get going. After watching half of it, I simply could not waste another minute.

  The only positive thing that this movie accomplished was to allow Maggie Gyllenhaal the room to give a deeply immersed, credibly transitional performance as Lee, a fragile, frumpy, self-mutilating psychiatric patient recently released from a mental hospital. Her performance has to be considered a true breakthrough as she managed to give some humanity and believability to a heavy-handed yet underwritten script.

  Other actors don't come out nearly as well. James Spader, who plays Lee's boss seems to be phoning in his performance as he is no different here than he is in the television show titled "The Practice". Spader's acting works very well in the series as he is part of an ensemble and his character has brought life to a series that was getting stale. Here he just annoys. Also, does the director not know that casting Leslie Ann Warren alsmost guarantees a dud. She unfortunately is an actress who like Spader seems to be playing the same angry victim every time she appears in a movie. This role may say a lot about the opportunities that are out there for mature women, but she does nothing to make it her own.

  Although the director has a visual flair, the pacing of the movie killed it for me. The multiple scenes involving self-mutilation were treated frivolously and Lee's submission into the sadomasochistic relationship did not ring true to me. Although I like quirky movies, the repeated spankings seemed way out of place and the movie would have benefitted from a more restrained approach. I believe that it could have worked much better if it had taken the time to seduce the audience into seeing how Lee could be attracted by what was about to come. The execution could have benefited by creating a sense of mystery and not being so in your face with what seemed to be very violent spankings for the sake of being provocative.

  Most will probably disagree with my views about this movie, but I owe my peers the courtesy of putting my two cents to balance the decisions of those who discover movies in this great site. Also, some may say that only seeing half the movie does not allow for a thorough review, but it got to the point when I was too bored and uninterested to watch. This is huge when you consider that I have only walked out of two movies in my whole life.

  In a nutshell, this movie seems to be asking us to view the lead characters' kinkiness not as some innocuous behavioural difference but as a profoundly liberating statement. The statement is too bold and the movie in no way reaches the heights it intends too. Maybe this would work better as a documentary, but this film is a waste of time and money.
  
  

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