“Against all odds, director Steven Shainberg has managed to craft an oddly compassionate -- and often very funny -- tale of an emotionally symbiotic affair.” - Megan Turner, New York Post
“A liberating, kindhearted picture, one whose ending brings with it the feeling that something has finally been shaken free.” - Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com
Saturday, February 17, 2:00 p.m. | Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhaal, in an acclaimed performance), a shy young woman who struggles with self-harm, takes a job as the secretary for the demanding and mysterious lawyer E. Edward Grey (James Spader, in his second appearance in Hot & Heavy!). As she fetches coffee and he criticizes her typing skills, the sexual tension builds, and a powerful BDSM (bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, sadism, and masochism) relationship develops between them. Exploring themes of control, self-acceptance, and unconventional care, SECRETARY is a sincere story of true love (and spanking).
Awards & Nominations
Winner - Winner Breakthrough Award (Maggie Gyllenhaal), Gotham Awards
Winner - Best First Screenplay, Erin Cressida Wilson, Film Independent Spirit Awards
Winner - Special Jury Prize, Sundance Film Festival
Hot & Heavy: Leave your inhibitions at the door and unclutch your pearls: the Film Center’s screens are sizzling with the 10 sexually liberated films of Hot & Heavy. A carnal exploration of desire, passion, and physical dexterity, Hot & Heavy encourages audiences to indulge in the erotic—not as forbidden fruit, but in a celebratory embrace of what turns us on in a safe space that respectfully recognizes the cinematic power of all things bodily bawdy. Content consideration: these films contain explicit sexual content (obviously). View full series.
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu