Review of SECRETARY

"On one level, I want to recommend Secretary for its sheer audacity alone. On another, I want to dismiss it for its dumbfounding and offensive presentation of women. On yet another, I want to dismiss that previous thought because the film isn’t a big, broad social commentary; it’s an (extremely) offbeat tale of romance between two desperate, lonely, and very, very messed up people. Well, that and two women are primarily responsible for the story (Erin Cressida Wilson for the screenplay and Mary Gaitskill for the short story on which the film is based). Then I begin to think, maybe it is the ultimate damnation of sexual politics in the workplace. Or maybe that’s only the noise in the background that we need to look past to get at the heart of what’s going on inside these people’s heads. And then on another level, with its darkly funny and oftentimes fairy tale-like tone, Secretary is the dismissal of all the cute, production-line, storybook romantic comedies where one actress can be exchanged with another while the story rehashes things we already know about Hollywood’s version of romance. The fact that I actually take the time to think about all of this proves to me that there’s something undeniably unique and worthwhile about this film."

Mark's Full Review