SECRETARYBy Attic Girl
Picture this: a girl floats really elegantly through an office with her hands cuffed to a metal rod that goes behind her head so she looks crucified. She drops some papers on her boss’ desk, staples them using her chin and grabs a sheet of paper from a typewriter with her teeth. Then she disappears down the hall. And all this happens with the most peaceful look on her face...
Next, the movie Secretary flashes back six months to our main character secretary Lee. Lee is discharged from a mental institution where she has spent some time for habitually cutting herself. She returns home on her sister’s wedding day. Her father is a violent and abusive drunk; her clueless mother doesn’t know how to let go of Lee. At the wedding party, she bumps into Peter whom she knew in high school. He’s recently had a nervous breakdown and wants to get together with Lee. But all of this pressure is too much for her and to deal with life in such a family, she continues carving herself soon after her release.
When Lee sees an ad for a secretary in the local paper, she thinks her prayers might be answered.
She interviews for the job with E. Edward Grey, a vain, kinky lawyer who goes through hired help so quickly that he has a ‘Secretary Wanted’ sign at the front of his building that lights up every time he has a vacancy. Grey claims to be looking for a typist, one who uses a typewriter, not a computer, and his collection of red pens shows that he’s serious about typographical errors. And so, begins a career of filing and typing for Lee.
At first things are quiet, but then Grey begins a series of criticisms and odd punishments (setting mousetraps in difficult corners and searching through trash bins). However Lee follows his orders without complaint. One day, when Grey overreacts to the typos in a letter, the punishment turns physical. Asking her to lean over his desk and read the document out loud, he proceeds to spank her forcefully. Although Mr. Grey is clearly turned on by this activity, Lee is the one who sees it as the answer to her dream of ever finding a soul mate. From here on, the young secretary and her boss
circle in on a comical sadomasochistic relationship of love and lust, control and surrender.
So all this may sound sick and twisted to you, but actually Secretary is a romantic comedy. The two performances by Maggie Gyllenhaal (Lee) and James Spader (Mr. Grey) are fascinating to watch as they explore the inner and outer reaches of a sadomasochistic relationship. Lee gradually turns into a sexual temptress by changing her posture and demeanor. Mr. Grey may be the dominant, but he is even more insecure than Lee. His outwardly bad behaviour hides a desirable man who struggles with himself. Gyllenhaal is funny, sweet and irresistible. With her curling smile and little oddities she sets a brilliant performance. Spader, always in for dark and conflicted characters, is deliciously mysterious.
Secretary started as a short story, written by Mary Gaitskill that appeared in a book called Bad Behavior. Director Steven Shainberg read the story and he just loved it. In about 4 days he made a short from it that was about 22 minutes long. Although it was shot in a very quick and rudimentary way, a lot of people in Hollywood got interested and wanted him to make a feature from it. But when he told them that he was not going to make a ‘person overcomes personal problem movie’ people thought he was crazy. The idea that what is generally perceived as a problem would be perceived as a healing in this story was completely unacceptable and nobody would touch it. About 5 years later, Erin Wilson, a New York playwright and Shainberg were looking for something to do toghether and decided to take a second look at Secretary . This time, they moved back to New York and finally got the funding to start making the film. Dealing with an issue like S&M, it could have turned out dark and creepy but Secretary is funny and has a certain lightness to it.
So trust me, no need to have whips, chains or a lot of black leather in your closet, just give it a try and you might have a spanking good time!
