Review of Secretary (2002) by Aleksandra X — 17 Feb 2011

Bearing in mind the film's pivotal point, that of a self-destructive young girl and her new employer embarking into a BDSM relationship, it would have been so very easy to make this into nothing more than a voyeuristic display of closeted erotic fantasies and reduce it to the "sex sells" world of forgettable filmmaking.

However, with a chief writer and director like Steven Shainberg, it becomes a compelling, minimalistic study of character and "finding oneself" through unconventional means instead. In the end, it comes across as one of the warmest, most sincere films of recent years, which is saying a lot for a flick frequently alluded to as an erotic black comedy.