accidental feminist

af summer movie festival entry #1: secretary June 24, 2007

Well, we all know my affinity for the hot version of James Spader (not the “purposely-let-himself-go-to-prove-that-sex-appeal-is-about-attitude-not-physique” James Spader from Boston Legal), so this was quite a treat in that regard. Regarding the obvious selling point of the film, a supposedly honest and quirky look at the world of dominant/submissive sexuality, I felt mixed. It definitely had more humanity than “The Piano Teacher”, but there were just a few spots that seemed overwrought, to wit: 1) the scene in the “spanking” montage where Spader puts a saddle on Gyllenhaal’s back and a carrot in her mouth…really? No, I mean, really? Um…okay…, and 2) The end of the film, where, for example, Gyllenhaal’s slightly too eloquent manifesto on S&M that somehow makes it into the newspaper that Spader reads (”I finally found someone who would play with me”? I’m sure that’s a term from the dominant/submissive lexicon, but “play” was not what she was after; release was, which she got, and bravo to her, but let’s let the real character speak and not make her a mouthpiece, a mere plaything, if you will.). Here the movie makes a strange turn as it merges with the ending of “Never Been Kissed”, which, for me, is significantly more disturbing than any of the aberrant sexuality presented in the film.

It is, as many critics note, rather sexy, if you allow yourself to accept the givens of the relationship at hand. But it might do a bit too much advocating for some psychological states that should probably be addressed by means other than sexual bondage, even if the two character’s do love each other have reached a mutually agreed upon state for their sexual relationship; a girl who has been self-mutilating since 7th grade doesn’t just need a good hard smack on the bottom from, an albeit alluring, James Spader; she needs some therapy, and possibly a good hard butt smack.