SECRETARY (2002)

Click clack click click clack.Enter the secretary, confident and sexy.Her hips sway seductively as she takes care of chores for her boss.She pours his coffee and staples papers together effortlessly.She is bold and efficient.She is also strapped into a harness, her arms stretched out to her side, locked in place by a long bar and shackles.So begins Secretary.

Nearly every woman has fantasized about being a secretary, taking “dictations” while leaning over the desk…well, use your imagination. Deep shades of reds, wood accents, and exotic plants give Mr. Grey’s office more of a boudoir feel.It sure beats the dull wood paneling I’m used to.The richness of Mr. Grey’s office is sharply contrasted by the brightness of the outside world.It intensifies the scenes between him and his secretary; it gives the viewer a sense of the two of them being the only two people in the world.

After Mr. Grey tells Miss Holloway to stop cutting herself, she feels alive.She walks home from work and says, “It was like I had never taken a walk by myself before.”Suddenly, this girlish woman with a prudish wardrobe and messy hair evolved into a confidant and unashamed woman.Once she begins giving herself up to Mr. Grey, everything – eating, working, existing - becomes sensual for her.Once she feels Mr. Grey begin to slip away, she sends him a worm – how phallic, how completely erotic.

Maggie Gyllenhaal brings this amazing character to life. Her whole essence pulses with the life of this secretary (the way she says “secretary” so breathlessly in her fantasy makes me want to rush to typing school).The performance blew me away.I have such a crush on Maggie Gyllenhaal.

And what a great comeback for James Spader.He is so deliciously sleazy – as he was playing Steff in Pretty in Pink or Rip in Less Than.It’s almost a turn on as he struggles to suppress his emotions – spontaneously doing pull-ups or crunches when he feels himself lose control, dripping with sweat.My favorite thing about watching James Spader is his mannerisms; his tone and his gestures are so quirkily unique…there’s just something about him.

At the end of the film, we have these two fabulous and quirky characters coming together in a lovely scene where Edward bathes Lee.As he cares for her scars, massages her, and cleans her so gently, she asks him about his life, “What did it say under your high school yearbook picture, where were you born.”That scene is so loving and romantic, a perfect end to the film.

The beautiful thing about the ending is explained best by Lee, “I’ve found someone to feel with, to play with, to love in a way I’m comfortable with.”She knows that by allowing herself to experience pain in a safe, loving manner makes her feel fulfilled, desirable, and happy.Being slapped on the ass to the point of bruising isn’t everyone’s idea of pleasure but what is so sensual about Lee and Edward’s S&M relationship is that they aren’t afraid to experiment with each other and test the boundaries of sexuality in a way that is comfortable for each of them.That kind of freedom and trust in a sexual relationship is 100% sensual.