Secretary is a 2002 American erotic romance film directed by Steven Shainberg from a screenplay by Erin Cressida Wilson, based on the 1988 short story of the same name by Mary Gaitskill.

[2][5][6] Starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader, the film explores the intense relationship between a dominant lawyer and his submissive secretary, who indulge in various types of BDSM activities such as erotic spanking and petplay.

Though at first Grey appears to be highly irritated by Lee's typos and other clerical errors, it soon becomes apparent that he is sexually aroused by her obedient behavior.

After Lee sends him an envelope with a worm in it, he bends her over his desk and makes her remove her skirt and underwear, then masturbates behind her and ejaculates onto her bare legs.

Grey, still uncertain about their relationship, tests Lee by commanding her to sit in his chair without moving her hands or feet until he returns.

Lines of dialogue were changed; Lee's statement "I'm so stupid" became the fantasy-sequence cry "I'm your secretary", which the director thought far more "celebratory".

Gyllenhaal encouraged them to hastily shoot the required park scene anyway, without permission, while crew members distracted the local police.

[15] In the UK, a version by Tartan Video was released on January 5, 2004, followed by a budget edition by Prism Leisure on February 7, 2005.

The website's critics consensus states, "Maggie Gyllenhaal impresses in this romantic comedy with a kinky twist.

"[18] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 63 out of 100, based on 39 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

[20] Ain't It Cool News commented: "Perhaps there is something bold about saying that pain can bring healing as long as it's applied by the right hand, but even that seems obvious and even normal thanks to Gyllenhaal.

The soundtrack album contains Angelo Badalamenti's score as well as two songs that were notably featured over erotic montages in the film: Leonard Cohen's "I'm Your Man" and Lizzie West's "Chariots Rise".