Plot: What’s it about?
Lee (Maggie Gyllenhaal) has just been released from a mental hospital. Though we don’t know the exact reason she was there, we gather from a few of the scenes that her life at home is not too pleasing. She has a habit of self-mutilation (essentially, clawing her skin, cutting herself and so on); brought on by her alcoholic father and overbearing mother (Leslie Ann Warren). It’s true to say that this isn’t the ideal life for Lee. Not really knowing what to do with her life, she comes across some want ads in the trash and starts looking for a job. She’s also enrolled in a typing class and has taken a liking to the life of a secretary. Coincidentally, she sees an ad for a secretarial position (no pun intended) and jumps at the chance to put her skills to use. James Spader plays Mr. Grey, a demanding, but albeit nice, lawyer for whom he needs a position filled. He’s had so much trouble with his secretaries that he has a somewhat permanent sign under his name that lights up hotel “vacancy” style. Maggie, though overly qualified, gets the job and life is starting to take a turn for the better…
But life, as we know it, isn’t always all roses. Lee meets a friend of hers named Peter (Jeremy Davies from Saving Private Ryan) who has expressed an interest in her. The two start to date and things start to look up for Lee. However, this is somewhat of a dark comedy and now we get to the real meat of the story. Lee isn’t perfect in her secretarial skills and Mr. Grey, always the perfectionist, has a habit of marking her spelling errors with a big red pen and placing them all over the office. In these days of word processors (which would eliminate this problem all together), Mr. Grey insists on using an old-fashioned typewriter. Lee messes up so many times that she is disciplined in a sadomasochistic way. Quite frankly, he spanks her like a little girl. Lee is turned on by this, however, and it’s not long before she messes up again. This attention that Mr. Grey pays to her is what she has been lacking and something that Peter can’t give to her. But, things quickly turn around for Lee when he stops disciplining her all together. This leads us down a very confused path as we’re not really sure what to think.
Secretary probably relies more on it’s shock value more than the actual writing and plot of the whole thing. There really aren’t too many mainstream Hollywood movies that confront the issue of sadomasochism; and probably for good reason. The film borders on good and bad taste and is hard to watch in a few spots. Lee masturbates a few times as does Mr. Grey. However, the message delivered by the film does allow it to play out in the end. James Spader is certainly no stranger to movies that bring controversy; as he’s just odd enough to make the part work for him. Maggie Gyllenhaal plays the role in a very subdued manner, though she certainly has the opportunity to steal the show if she wants to. While the film won’t be to everyone’s liking, there are those out there that will undoubtedly like it for what it’s worth. Much like the small percentage of those out there who are into sadomasochism, there will be those who are really into this film. Steven Shainberg has created something unique here and at the same time very interesting to watch. It makes one think and in the end, that’s what films are supposed to do.
Video: How does it look?
The film is obviously very low budget, so don’t expect a glossy transfer. Still the 1.85:1 transfer looked surprisingly good, much better than I thought it would. There are some spots where the edge enhancement is present, though not that glaring. The flesh tones seem to be on an accurate level and though there is some artifacting in places, it’s not that bad either. These are all defects that I mentioned, but for what it is, Secretary looks pretty darn good on DVD.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio, like the video, is a bit sub par; but then again it’s supposed to be. The track used here is a basic Dolby Surround mix which more than serves its purpose here. The film is all dialogue-driven and I can’t think of much that a 5.1 track would do to enhance this track. Not a whole lot of action is going on, though I would be curious as to what the spanking sounds would sound like coming out of all 6 channels! No signs of distortion could be found and let’s just say that the Surround track is good.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Though the disc doesn’t contain a lot of extras, the commentary track with Director Steven Shainberg and his writer is rather interesting. This is the kind of commentary track that we like to listen to, something that tells the motivation behind wanting to make this sort of film. Though it does have a few weak spots, it’s a good track and we do learn a lot about the film here. Also included is a rather standard Behind the scenes featurette with interviews with the cast and crew and a photo gallery is also included as well. Though Secretary might not stand the test of time, it did garner some national attention; even being mentioned at the Academy Awards. The subject of the film is a bit harsh for some; but nothing too graphic is shown. Recommended.
