Secretary
2002
***
Director: Steven Shainberg
Cast: James Spader, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jeremy Davies, Patrick Bauchau, Stephen McHattie, Lesley Ann Warren, Oz Perkins, Jessica Tuck, Amy Locane
A young woman with a history of self-harm takes a job as a secretary for a demanding lawyer, and the two quickly develop a complex and unconventional personal and professional relationship. This BDSM-flavoured dark romantic comedy about a dominant man and a submissive woman certainly offers something different. Unfortunately these two people are only defined by their kinks, which is not enough to make them interesting as characters. Incidentally, the lawyer's name is Mr. Grey, like in the abysmal Fifty Shades of Grey (2015). Based on Mary Gaitskill's 1988 short story.
