3. Mr. Grey - Secretary (2002)
"Erotic" and "comedy" might not sound like two genres that make for natural bed-mates, but Secretary proves it's possible for a film to be both funny AND sexy, and just a little bit touching. Here Spader plays E. Edward Grey, a highly successful, high-maintenance attorney in need of a new secretary, who arrives in the form of fragile, self-harming Maggie Gyllenhaal. Office mishaps lead to developing sexual tension and before long the two are embarking on a full-fledged BDSM relationship. While it was Gyllenhaals turn as the submissive Lee which secured a Golden Globe nom, Secretary also gave Spader the chance to display a type of neurotic vulnerability we hadnt seen before. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QflHaPOXcA4 Shy and self-loathing, his occasionally tyrannical insecurity is bellied by the quiet longing in his eyes from the moment Edward first meets Lee; his persistent inability to say what she really means to him. Secretary is a film about becoming confident in yourself, about taking possession of your life, even if that means surrendering control. Regardless of your thoughts on gender roles, Steven Shainberg's film manages to make kink life-affirming, triumphant even, as opposed to simply exploitative or titillating. If only the first domineering Mr. Grey to arrive in cinemas had also been the last