Spank You Very Much

Steven Shainberg's feature length film, Secretary, won a Special Jury Prize for Originality at Sundance in 2002. Admittedly, winning an award for originality in what is meant to be a creative industry seems a bit redundant, although given the current state of cinema it's a sad truth that sometimes pictures can be rewarded simply for being "original." But I must say, upon seeing this picture, the award could not have seemed more well-deserved. Certainly there have been plenty of other more "original" films in terms of style and execution to cross this viewer's screen over the past few years, but as far as subject matter goes, this film deals with an issue that hasn't seen much life on celluloid (at least outside the realm of low-budget 16mm indies and the fetish video market) in a very tasteful and - *gasp* - romantic way. It manages to be both clever and original and yet still retain a strong emotional core, something so few self-consciously clever and original films manage (although the recent - and brilliant - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind comes to mind).

The story centers around Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a recovering self-mutilator who, upon her recent release from a mental institution, finds herself in the employ of lawyer E. Edward Grey (James Spader). After a tense and enigmatic first meeting with Grey, Lee gets the job which proves to be rather mundane. The relationship between the two soon begins to develop on a far more personal level, and Grey's egomaniacal disciplinarian tendencies begin to create an explosive chemistry with the naturally submissive and self-loathing Lee. The ensuing relationship is equal parts darkly funny, cringe-worthy, and deeply romantic. By the end of the film, we have no doubts that these two characters really are meant for each other and their romance hardly seems contrived, despite often falling into the familiar trappings of romantic comedies (which I suppose this film could be loosely classified as). Yes, the film does follow the time-honored tradition of boy-meets-girl, boy-gets-girl, boy-loses-girl, boy-gets-girl-again, but it does it in such an original and charming fashion that we never feel like we're just watching Notting Hill with Hugh Grant spanking Julia Roberts.

Despite the obvious shock value inherent in the storyline, the film hardly feels like a gimmick - the heart of the film lies not with cheap thrills and the potential exploitation factor, but rather with the rich characters created by these two wonderful actors (Gyllenhaal and Spader). Spader delivers another fine nutjob role in a career seemingly built around fine nutjob roles. His hushed, nervous performance doesn't seem a far cry from his role as the aural sex obsessed Graham over a decade ago in Steven Soderberg's voyeuristic masterpiece Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989), but it is certainly far more than a simple rehashing. Spader's Grey shifts between spooked nervousness, self-loathing, and domination with subtlety rather than the dramatic overacting a lesser actor may employ to demonstrate such a character's instability. This is not to say Spader doesn't ham it up a little, but fuck, so did Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs and he always managed to stay within the realm of good taste without ever taking that fatal plunge into Shatneresque territory that plagues so many typical film "loonies" (*cough*...Gary Oldman...*cough*).

Gyllenhaal, in her first full-blown starring role, delivers a tight and compelling performance that deserves its own paragraph in this review. Now, I had previously seen her in her roles in Adaptation and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, although she had never really made too much of an impression on me. Finally seeing her in the spotlight of her own starring vehicle really brought her to my attention. Gyllenhaal positively glows in this film. Each scene in which she appears (which is nearly all of them) are brought to life through her spunky energy and screen presence. She is also decidedly pretty, although not in the traditional starlet way, making her all the more believable on the screen. The fact that she is not Julia Roberts or, to borrow from another decade, Audrey Hepburn, makes her so much more real on screen than either of those glamorous stars could ever hope to be. Her face is an interesting one, looking both youthfully exuberant and optimistic as well as conveying the tired and jaded appearance of a woman much older (she is only twenty-six at the time of this writing, with a long and promising career ahead of her). I don't know quite what it is that gives her face this unexpected maturity and depth - perhaps the answers lie in the various creases and folds that outline her features, perhaps it is her expressive and sensual lips and mouth, or perhaps her eyes, shining with intelligence and passion - but she can speak volumes with just a glance. And did I mention that she lights up the room everytime she's present? Even when she's busy cutting herself or, in one of the film's most cringe-worthy scenes, burning herself with a hot tea kettle, one can't help but love her. I expect great things from this actress in the future.

Another issue that I feel I must address in this review: many feminists have complained, and undoubtedly will continue to do so, about the supposedly sexist connotations present in the relationship between Lee and E. Edward Grey. Well, fuck them. There is absolutely nothing sexist about this film. Sure, Gyllenhaal's character is certainly the submissive in this relationship, but the way she enters into this submissive position is positively empowering at times. There are several points in the film - I won't say where as to not spoil some of the most entertaining moments - where Lee takes the lead and propells the relationship forward into a realm where it may not have gone had she not been as strong and powerful as she is. And lest we forget, dominant/submissive relationships are generally mutually accepted and mutually pleasing. Just because she is the submissive in the relationship does not mean she is any less respected by Grey, and she is certainly getting what she wants out of the relationship. Nothing about Gyllenhaal's character seems like she's been forced into this situation. And I wonder, had the roles been reversed and we found Gyllenhaal beating James Spader with a paddle, would men be up in arms declaring the movie sexist and degrading to males? I think not.

Now, this review thus far has been a fairly glowing and enthusiastic one, and hopefully this adequately expresses the enjoyment and pleasure I got out of this film. It is extremely entertaining and full of delicious black comedy. And, of course, at the heart of all this is an absolutely heartwarming (well, somewhat...) and optimistic tale about true love. This is not to say the film doesn't have its problems. Although in general the film is rather engrossing, there are a few moments at which the plot drags a little and I found myself hurrying the movie up. This is normally not too big a problem, as most movies tend to have a pacing problem or two here or there, but there are some interesting loose ends and mysteries that perhaps Shainberg could have spent more time exploring to fill up the dead space in the film. For example, what the fuck is up with Grey's ex-wife? But these things really didn't bug me too much. At least, not until I sat down to start writing the review and began to think critically, but generally I just found this to be a fantastic and entirely different movie.

A quick word of warning: sexual perversion, especially BDSM, is often a topic that most people (understandably) want to avoid, but I found that this film deals with the taboo in a rather tasteful and meaningful way. Tastefulness and meaningfulness aside, the idea is still just going to make some people uncomfortable, and I have no intention to try to persuade them otherwise. The film does deal with sexuality in a relatively frank and occasionally explicit way that may put off some viewers. But for those filmgoers with an open mind and a taste for the bizarre, this offbeat romantic comedy is both a charming and endearing experience with some fine performances to boot.