Secretary

REVIEW
Even for those who don’t like being spanked, Secretary has something intensely rewarding to offer. The film is anchored by Gyllenhaal’s breakthrough performance as Lee Holloway, a shy young woman who has only recently been released from a mental institution. Her history has been to resolve problems by cutting herself, which makes sharp blades, band aids, and iodine essential accessories in her make-up bag. Lee tries to integrate back into the world with the help of a good job, and when she answers a lawyer’s ad for a secretary position, all seems to be on the up and up. But she soon finds this is no ordinary lawyer, and before you can say fax machine, the employer/employee relationship is given a spanking new definition. While playful and even a bit humorous in its kinkiness, Secretary still takes its characters seriously. In fact, the film becomes a convincing endorsement of human connection-as-therapy, even if it doesn’t come in the neat traditional package that so many expect. Secretary makes for a nice alternative love story that transcends the lovey-dovey romance of many lesser films.