Secretary
2002 · Movie · R · 111 min · ★ 6.8 · 71% critics
After being released from a mental hospital, a young woman lands a job as a secretary to a demanding lawyer. What starts as an employer-employee relationship slowly turns romantic and sexual, centered on a dominant/submissive dynamic that tests both of them.
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Details
- Years
- 2002
- Release date
- 2002-09-20
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 111 min
- Max quality
- HD
- Critic score
- 71/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.8/10 (1,926 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy Secretary if you want a romantic dramedy with high tension and a nontraditional office power dynamic that’s taken seriously; Not for you if explicit BDSM themes, mental health/self-harm topics, or cringe-inducing awkwardness are dealbreakers, or if you only want something like Unfaithful.
Pros: darkly quirky romance; standout lead chemistry; consensual BDSM focus | Cons: polarizing subject matter; can feel too deviant; not for everyone
Themes
- suicide
- clerk
- fetish
- sadomasochism
- secretary
- lawyer
- hospital
- typewriter
- kinky
- submissive
- cutting
- pantyhose
- +3 more
Awards & recognition
- Sundance Special Jury Prize — Originality · 2002
Cast & crew
James Spader
as Mr. Grey
Maggie Gyllenhaal
as Lee Holloway
Jeremy Davies
as Peter
Lesley Ann Warren
as Joan Holloway
Stephen McHattie
as Burt Holloway
Patrick Bauchau
as Dr. Twardon
Jessica Tuck
as Tricia O'Connor
Osgood Perkins
as Jonathan
Amy Locane
as Lee's Sister
Mary Joy
as Sylvia
Directed by Steven Shainberg