Film Review: Secretary

Director: Steven Shainberg

An independent film from 2002 which featured as the breakthrough for director and screenwriter Steven Shainberg, a breakthrough it appears he failed to capitalize on with the disappointing Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus in 2006. Many felt the advertising campaign that ran before the films release was slightly misleading in plot, I think many felt it was going to be more titillation than substance. Maggie Gyllenhaal was nominated for a Golden Globe for her role as the submissive secretary Lee.

Lee Holloway is a socially awkward young woman who lives in a dysfunctional family, after a dangerous incident of self harm she learns to type and starts to work for an attorney called Edward Grey (James Spader). Despite some initial errors, it appears her boss is aroused by her submissive behaviour and they start a secret relationship based around their dominant and submissive personalities.

Secretary Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhaal)

Shainberg approaches this topic with a measure of restraint, he doesn't make the film too offensive in a crude sense or trivialize the subject matter which could have so easily been done. This is an issue that is rarely talked in Hollywood films beyond it being a cheap excuse for some repulsive material. It also deals with the sorts of power struggles that are fought out in offices across the world on a daily basis and is a quite clever satire on the subject. That isn't to say the film is always completely tasteful either but nobody is perfect.

Maggie Gyllenhaal is excellent in the lead role, adding a real warmth to the film that is lost elsewhere. Once the film scratches beneath the surface you do feel it could do so much more with this, the ending felt a little forced as if Shainberg had said what he wanted to say and wasn't entirely sure how he wanted to end it all.

2.5/4 Stand out performance but the film doesn't say enough