“Secretary” is a movie that came out in 2002, about a woman named Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhal) who after going out of a mental institution finds a job as a secretary to the cold, enigmatic, lawyer named Edward Grey (James Spader). It starts as a simple secretary-boss relationship but then becomes something more as they both engage in S/M.
Created by Steven Sheinberg, “Secretary” is a refreshing movie with characters like no others. It will make you laugh at the right moment and involve you in a special relationship that we do not see represented enough in the media. Steven Sheinberg isn’t mocking the S/M relationship and show us though his characters how people that practice S/M are just normal people who find sexual pleasure in a different way. We get to see how beneficial this relationship is for Ms. Lee as she stops hurting herself by discovering a different, healthier way to feel something. Mr. Grey saves her and helps her with her transformation into a confident secretary.
Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader carry the movie on their shoulders. Gyllenhaal plays her quirky character like a professional. She embodies Lee perfectly and we get to see Lee’s change from an insecure woman to a confident woman as she gets into a relationship with her boss. James Spader also delivers an outstanding performance. Right from the beginning, we sense that his character his hiding a secret just by looking at his facial’s expressions, but it is expected from such an amazing actor like him.
The slow-burn is just pleasing to watch. Mr. Grey is desperately trying to not feel anything for his secretary, but he cannot help what he feels for her. It is really entertaining to see Mr. Grey repressing his emotions. Once, he decides to embrace his feeling toward Ms. Lee and do the first move, it is the best feeling ever.
The viewers can’t help falling in love with the two character’s dynamic. Once they get with each other, we see them playfully navigate through their newfound relationship. No matter what they do, they are always looking for each other. Ms Lee needs her dominant’s constant attention. She is submissive to him, and secretary show us how submission works in an S/M relationship. Mr. Grey can be seen as being cruel toward his partner, but they have a different dynamic to people that aren’t into S/M have, and this film is trying to make the viewer understand this.
The love scenes at the end of the movie are just so pleasing to watch. Even though S/M is about hurting the other to feel sexual pleasure, not everything is about pain. There is something called after care which consists of the dominant taking care of the submissive after inflicting pain. These scenes just make you feel so many emotions. Through, this after care, we get to see how happy and free it makes them feel to be in this kind of relationship. They are meant to be together because they complete each other and make each other happy.
“Secretary” is an amazing movie that everyone should watch as it touches on the topic of BDSM. Fans of Fifty Shades of Grey will be delighted by this movie as I am sure “Secretary” paved the way to its success.
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