Author: Anne McCormick
Date: 9 May 2020
Secretary, the USA, 2002
Director: Steven Shainberg, the USA. This director also shot the film Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus, 2006.
Actors: Maggie Gyllenhaal (Lee Holloway), James Spader (Mr. Gray), Jeremy Davies (Peter)
Composer: Angelo Badalamenti (the USA). He also composed music for the films Blue Velvet, 2006, Dark Water, 2005, 44 Inch Chest, 2009.
Steven Shainberg's 2002 movie Secretary was a fun watch. The main characters are lawyer Mr. Gray (played by actor James Spader), his secretary Lee Holloway (played by actress Maggie Gyllenhaal), as well as Peter (Jeremy Davies). All of them, at first glance, are extraordinary people. However, after watching the movie, I was no longer so sure of their abnormality. We are all different; nature has created us that way.
The film begins with a girl with beautiful eyes coming out of the gates of a mental hospital. She has no choice - Lee goes home, where there are many of her family's problems. At home, her loving but unbalanced mother and father, who understands his daughter but drinks too much, await her. Lee has severe mental difficulties - she stabs herself with knives, scissors and needles. All this, of course, happens in secret, but traces of wounds are visible to others.
Against the expected, Lee is not going to sit idle at home and prick herself with needles. She energetically goes to secretary classes and even manages to show high results there.
At the same time, an extraordinary lawyer, Mr. Gray, once again changes a secretary. Lee meets his previous secretary when she goes for an interview.
Further, we see how two perfect halves meet: a dominant lawyer and a submissive secretary. This part of the movie is pretty funny. Different scenes take place in it, where the characters come to understand their roles. Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal played the role of a strange girl very sensually. James Spader also coped well with his role as a lawyer.
When does a movie stop being funny? When Lee ceases to be limp and weak-willed. She begins to fight for her happiness. Although she doesn't drop her masochistic tendencies, the secretary still wants joy in life. This struggle is worthy of respect, at least in my eyes. Our characters go their way with their efforts, and both of them come out of this situation as winners. The reward for this victory is love.
Finding your soulmate is happiness. Faces flicker, days rush by. I find it a shame that so often, halves do not know their soulmates for their whole lives. But if you're lucky and you met your soulmate, hold that person tight.
This movie isn't for everyone, but I enjoyed it.
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