Assume the position.
There aren’t many breakthrough movie performances anymore like Maggie Gyllenhaal’s in Secretary, which was released 20 years ago this week. Sure, she had been in some other films previously, like Donnie Darko the year before, in which she co-starred with her brother Jake. But her turn in Secretary was the sort of performance that makes moviegoers stand up and take notice.
Based on Mary Gaitskill’s short story of the same name, Secretary was directed by Steven Shainberg, from a short story by Erin Cressida Wilson. It’s a depiction of a dominant/submissive relationship made at a time before pop culture often dealt with such things, and also treated mental illness with compassion and empathy at a time when the movies rarely did that, either.
When the film begins, Lee (Gyllenhaal) is released from a mental institution, as a result of her cutting habit. Let out for her sister’s wedding, Lee — described in just about every review at the time as “mousy” — get a job as a secretary for a lawyer (James Spader, playing a 40ish version of his established ’80s movie persona.)
The two quickly fall into a dominant/submissive relationship, which grows into deep love. And what’s important is, that the film never depicts this as something that they grow out of. The love story is because of it, not in spite of it.
What’s so striking about Gyllenhaal’s performance is how much the character grows, from awkward and unsure of herself at the beginning to things she’s doing by the third act- it’s not only her wardrobe that changes. The film isn’t necessarily arguing full-throatily for BDSM relationships, but it can be read as establishing that doing so is much healthier than self-mutilation.
Spader’s office is also one of the more impressive movie sets of the last quarter-century; Roger Ebert described it as “like the result of intense conversations with an interior designer who has seen too many Michael Douglas movies.” There’s also a characteristically spooky score by David Lynch’s house composer Angelo Badalamenti.
Secretary has probably been seen by about 1/1000th as many people as those who have watched any of the Fifty Shades of Grey films, but it’s better than them in any way, from a character standpoint, as well as the performances and the filmmaking. Even the sex scenes are way, way better.
Shainberg directed two other movies after Secretary, 2006’s Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus and 2016’s Rupture. Gyllenhaal has continued to work consistently in the years since, making a well-received directorial debut last year with The Lost Daughter. Spader went on to an unlikely place, network TV, where he had a brief stint on The Office and is nearly a decade into his time starring in the drama series The Blacklist.
The film has inspired some of the dumber “that movie could never be made today” conversations, with one commentator declaring in 2018 that of Secretary. This despite the three Fifty Shades movies having been released in the five years before that, and the likelihood that the making of a compassionate and sympathetic movie about a BDSM relationship is absolutely more like today than 20 years ago (there was a pretty great one, Sanctuary with Christopher Abbott and Margaret Qualley, at TIFF earlier this month.)
If anything, Secretary was way ahead of its time. And if you think movies that combine controversial subject matter with sexual topics never get made anymore, then you’ve probably never heard of A24.
John Galt
April 29, 2024 at 2:37 pm
Stephen; I agree with your review wholeheartedly. I discovered this movie just a few days ago. It resonated so heavily with me that I watched it twice over a period of a few days… then had a conversation with a close friend about it.
The comments on Rotten Tomatoes made me realize the world might be seen by yet one more dichotomy; the children of suffering and the children of pleasure. Those who can’t ‘get’ the film, I suspect, have never had the suffering that underlies both characters.
I was a child of suffering. If you can understand it and harness it, it is advantageous. Pain is a tear in the flesh of reality, allowing one to see the discrepancies and hypocrisies of life and live in a greater truth. It is no accident Ms. Holloway stands off to the side in social situations, carefully observing them, keenly aware of the self-deceptions and lies involved. This is often a hallmark of the children of suffering.
As you mentioned, Maggie’s “growth” is quite impressive throughout the film. Turn the sound off and watch her posture: she starts off hunched, slouching, arms in a fatalistic “I give up” position. When she walks, she leads with her head; her mind and body are disconnected. But as she gains confidence, everything changes: she straightens up, starts commanding her walk, her posture, her head position, her voice. Her physical acting alone is spot on.
I also love the humor, peppered in between the suffering, well-timed and not overplayed. The characters are flawed, but show their underbelly enough to elicit empathy. The mousetrap scenes are a microcosm of the film; that Mr. Grey doesn’t kill them and instead carefully sets traps then sets them free tells you something about his inner character.
But most important is the power dynamic. Many commenters miss the underlying power dynamics (as opposed to the obvious one). Once Ms. Holloway awakens and realizes that what Mr. Grey gives her is exactly what she needs – that she can channel her suffering into non-destructive, loving, sexy play – SHE has become the dominant in her OWN life.
Later, when she slaps him, the power dynamic shifts again; she has limitations – and she lets him know it, on no uncertain terms. The power balance is equal here. Then, when she realizes she really does love him, the power dynamic shifts AGAIN: He rescued her, now she is going to rescue him – and will sacrifice everything to do it. She is the dom, he is the sub. When he reciprocates, the power balance shifts back – sort of – only this time with an understanding of limitations and the serious repercussion of living alone and loveless. The soil is now cultivated for an intimate love to form.
I find this film much deeper than most realize. I also find it fascinating it was made AT ALL, at any time. Kudos to everyone involved.