Secretary

"Assume the position."

2002 1h 51m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 2,019

RomanceDramaComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A young woman, recently released from a mental hospital, gets a job as a secretary to a demanding lawyer, where their employer-employee relationship turns into a sexual, sadomasochistic one.

“Assume the position.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

James Spader
Mr. Grey
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Lee Holloway
Jeremy Davies
Peter
Lesley Ann Warren
Joan Holloway
Stephen McHattie
Burt Holloway
Patrick Bauchau
Dr. Twardon
Jessica Tuck
Tricia O'Connor
Osgood Perkins
Jonathan

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Steven Shainberg
Writers: Erin Cressida Wilson, Mary Gaitskill
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $4.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 24 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Steven Shainberg, shot by Steven Fierberg. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Angelo Badalamenti. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Pam Wise shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jeremy Davies carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Assume the position.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0274812 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Steven Shainberg directs. Steven Fierberg behind the camera. Angelo Badalamenti scores. Pam Wise cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $4.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Released 24 years ago.
3Directed by Steven Shainberg, shot by Steven Fierberg. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Angelo Badalamenti. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Pam Wise shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jeremy Davies carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Assume the position.".
8IMDB entry: tt0274812 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 15 themes, including "suicide", "clerk", "fetish", "sadomasochism".

The technical file

Cinematography: Steven Fierberg
Original score: Angelo Badalamenti
Editing: Pam Wise
Production design: Amy Danger
Costume design: Marjorie Bowers
Makeup / hair: Raqueli Dahan
VFX supervisor: Randall Balsmeyer
Stunt coordinator: José Ignacio Álvarez
Runtime: 111 min · 1h 51m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $4,000,000
Box office: $9,300,000
Return: 233% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Secretary (2002)

Awards

Sundance Special Jury Prize for Originality

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Steven Shainberg

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2018-03-25
★ 5/10
Dominance and submission at the office (um... no) RELEASED IN 2002 and directed by Steven Shainberg, "Secretary" is a romantic dramedy about a young woman (Maggie Gyllenhaal) who spent some time at a mental hospital for self-harm (e.g. cutting). She apprehends a job as a secretary to a quirky, arduous lawyer (James Spader) wherein their employer-employee bond turns increasingly sexual in a dominant/submissive way. This is the first mainline film in America to breach the difficult topic of BDSM, walking the balance beam between being either too amusing or too offensive. For those not in the know, BDSM is an overlap of acronyms: BD stands for Bondage and Discipline; DS for Dominance and Submission; and SM for Sadism and Masochism. I didn’t really know the movie tackled BDSM before viewing it; I thought it was simply a romance-in-the-office type flick with maybe some kinky elements. The movie is polarizing, unsurprisingly. I read a few reviews by respectable critics and one was fascinated by it, giving it an incredible 10/10 Stars (Why Sure!), while another wrote it off as a film for sick people, granting it 1/10 Stars. Whilst I find the romance-at-the-office element interesting, I could care less about the BDSM angle. Regardless, the first half is amusing enough and Maggie is a winsome treat, but the second half gets a little too deviant and borders on porn. Yet the movie ends well with a well-intentioned message: This is a story about two people who have an affinity for DS that find each other and their relationship may or may not work (no spoilers). I suppose the movie is trying to get across that pain can be therapeutic as long as it's applied by the right hand with the right intention. Thus two people with an affinity for BDSM can develop a relationship that works, for them. But not me; no thanks. THE MOVIE RUNS 1 hour 47 minutes and was shot in Los Angeles. WRITERS: Mary Gaitskill (short story) and Erin Cressida Wilson & Shainberg (screenplay). GRADE: C-

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