the chutry experiment

1. The cast is well-suited for the material. Maggie Gyllenhaal, as Ebert points out, makes Lee appear "plucky" rather than pathetic or weak, and James Spader, famous for this type of sexual obsessive, plays Grey with just the right amount of self-loathing. Even though he plays the dominant role and Gyllenhaal the submissive, both actors convey their characters' neediness rather effectively. Jeremy Davies adds the right touch as a tender, but somewhat ineffectual boyfriend.
2. Amy Danger's beautiful set design, especially Grey's office, establishes the eccentricity of their relationship, and along with Angelo Badalamenti's score, recalls images of "David Lynch's suburban underworlds," as Cynthia Fuchs points out, but rather than distancing us from this world either through Jeffrey's voyeurism in Blue Velvet, or through the road trip tropes in Wild at Heart, the office, provides a certain entrance point into the relationship between Lee and Grey.
3. Secretary seems conscious of its treatment of power relationships and the potential for critique. The title "Secretary," now replaced by the terms, "administrative assistant" or "executive assistant" already hints at this awareness, and as Bradshaw's review points out, Secretary avoids the trap associated with many "sexual and office politics" films, such as Neil LaBute's In the Company of Men, in which the sexual politics are basically "pure evil."

I found the film fascinating, especially in terms of the smart visuals (both set design and cinematography), especially given the low budget, and the intelligent performances. Gyllenhaal's performance is certainly key here. It would have been easy to play Lee as weak or pathetic, but the story allows her to gradually develop strength, especially in the final scene in the office.

I do share some of the concerns addressed by MaryAnn Johanson: the film risks affirming violence against women and abuse of power relationships, but I do think one of the key examples Johanson uses to support her interpretation, the scene in which Lee's father hits her mother is not meant to be seen as a role model for Lee at all. We watch the scene from Lee's POV and view it with some distance and see it as the painful image that it is and see the father's actions as abusive. Now that I've reflected on the film for a couple of days, I think it works, but I still have mixed feelings about it. Has anyone else seen this film and come to a more confident interpretation?

Update: I've been thinking a little further about the political baggage associated with sadomasochism, and that is certainly upsetting my more affirmative review of the film, especially given characterizations of Grey that describe him as a "martinet" and the degree to which the director, in an interview on the DVD comments that he sees Secretary as a My Beautiful Laundrette for S&M culture.