"Secretary," the movie, is a provocative and warped love story. Viewers may go purple with rage or gray with disgust, while many may turn pink with embarrassment in order to hide the red of arousal. This movie crosses dangerous psychological territory: the threshold between desire and pain, between surrender and subjugation. Gaitskill's "Secretary" is more about submissiveness and "sexual perversion" (Garrett 1). Critic Regina Weinreich argues that Gaitskill's debut is startling and refreshing due to the …showed first 75 words of 1701 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1701 total…Downtown World." New York Times 21 May 1988: pg.17 Kemp, Phillip. "Secretary." Sight and Sound 13 (2003): 54-5 McCarthy, Todd. "Secretary (Sundance)." Variety 385 (2002): 36-7 Pembroke, Louise. "Secretary." Mental Health Practice 6 (2003): p 26-7 <Tab/>Queenan, Joe. "The Story of an Office Romance With a Twist." The Guardian (London, England) 17 May 2003: p12. Shainberg, Steven. Interview by Terry Gross. Fresh Air. WHYY-FM. 31 Oct. 2002. <Tab/>Weinreich, Regina. "Small Affirmations." The American Book Review 11.3 (July- Aug. 1989): 12, 19