Review of Passions of a Private Secretary (2008) by Ed Fucking H — 06 Oct 2011

Pretty decent erotic drama dealing with S&M. S&M in the movies can really be hit or miss. Too much emphasis on the acts, and not enough time being spent on character development, philosophy and story, can be the difference between a MOVIE and a fetish film.

While I personally have little interest in S&M for arousing purposes I do think that the subject provides strong imagery and can be used to great effect in many different ways. To shock the audience (as it is frequently used in the horror genre), as allegory (Salo or A Serbian Film), or as character study (The Piano Teacher or Secretary.

) It also can say a lot about the give and take nature of all relationships whether sexual or otherwise, albeit in an extreme way. This film works due to it's story, characters and good albeit low budget direction.

It also feels like the filmmakers were unsure who their audience might be. It does definently deliver to films fans such as myself, who have specific interests in this genre, but they did also seem to realize that most people who end up watching this film are going to be fetishists, and so they draw out the "sex" scenes longer than I really needed.

While this definently affected my enjoyment of the film, I think all in all this is good for what it is, and I would recommend it to those who enjoy this sort of thing. While far from perfect, I did find myself being drawn in by the story and the characters, even if I think some sections dragged on a little too much.

Not as good as some of the other films mentioned in this review but definently worth a watch.