The Take
Secretary clocks a 71 Slop Score. The whole movie treats graphic submission as liberation while painting duty and competence as soul-crushing traps.
Strong performances from Gyllenhaal and Spader cannot salvage the thesis that kink solves everything and normal relationships are the enemy.
The Verdict
Skip it. The 71 Slop Score confirms this is boilerplate BDSM sold as empowerment with ancestors filing restraining orders and the dating pool in shambles.
Phantom Thread delivers power dynamics without the whips or the lecture.
Common Questions
Why is Secretary controversial?
No. It romanticizes submission as the cure for a boring life.
Is Secretary woke?
No. It peddles kink as liberation while trashing duty and normal relationships.
How does Secretary handle the source material?
It softens Gaitskill's darker edges into feel-good submission porn.
