MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for Secretary

Secretary

2002 · 111 min

A quirky, tender romance about two damaged people finding intimacy through unconventional means, balancing dark humor with genuine emotion.

Directed by
Steven Shainberg
Genres
Romance, Drama, Comedy
Starring
James Spader, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jeremy Davies
Tagline
Assume the position.
Overview
A young woman, recently released from a mental hospital, gets a job as a secretary to a demanding lawyer, where their employer-employee relationship turns into a sexual, sadomasochistic one.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

Rent or buy in the UK
  • Apple TV Store
  • Rakuten TV
  • Sky Store
More options Data from JustWatch
Directed by
Steven Shainberg
Genres
Romance, Drama, Comedy
Starring
James Spader, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jeremy Davies
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
  • romanticstrength 2 of 3
  • whimsicalstrength 2 of 3
  • satiricalstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • identity
  • obsession
  • love
  • isolation
  • healing
Places
  • workplace
  • suburbs
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • nonlinear
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language strong
  • Violence mild
  • Sex strong
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action1
Horror1
Humour5
Realism7
Romance7
Tension5
Darkness6
Complexity5
Emotional weight6

More like this

Titles like Secretary

Movie

Nymphomaniac

2013

A long, unflinching confession that is intellectually provocative and emotionally raw, demanding patience and tolerance for explicit, disturbing content.

Dark · about identity and obsession · nonlinear

Via
  • dark
  • identity
  • obsession
  • nonlinear
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
240 min
Details
NymphomaniacHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Love and Leashes

2022

A playful, tender office romance that treats kink with warmth and humour, balancing awkward laughs with genuine emotional honesty.

Romantic · about identity and love · nonlinear

Via
  • romantic
  • identity
  • love
  • nonlinear
Pacing
measured
Attention
easy-watch
Runtime
118 min
Details
Love and LeashesHidden from your suggestions.
TV series

Monk

2002–2009

A gentle, quirky detective show that balances clever puzzles with a tender portrait of a man coping with grief and compulsion.

About obsession and isolation

Via
  • obsession
  • isolation
Pacing
measured
Attention
easy-watch
Seasons
8
Details
MonkHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

9½ Weeks

1986

A stylish, uneasy plunge into obsession, where glossy surfaces and charged encounters leave a lingering chill of vulnerability and control.

Dark · about identity and obsession

Via
  • dark
  • identity
  • obsession
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
117 min
Details
9½ WeeksHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Duke of Burgundy

2015

A slow, hypnotic plunge into a private world of ritual and desire, where tenderness and control blur.

Romantic · about identity and obsession · nonlinear

Via
  • romantic
  • identity
  • obsession
  • nonlinear
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
104 min
Details
The Duke of BurgundyHidden from your suggestions.
TV series

The Office

2005–2013

A warm, cringe-inducing workplace comedy that makes you laugh and squirm as you grow fond of its oddball characters.

Romantic · about identity and love

Via
  • romantic
  • identity
  • love
Pacing
measured
Attention
easy-watch
Seasons
9
Details
The OfficeHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Pillion

2025

A quiet, uncomfortable study of submission and self-discovery, mixing tender moments with harsh emotional distance.

Dark · about identity and obsession · nonlinear

Via
  • dark
  • identity
  • obsession
  • nonlinear
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
107 min
Details
PillionHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Maîtresse

1976

A slow, intimate plunge into forbidden desire, unsettling yet oddly tender, with moments of raw vulnerability and sudden violence.

Dark, romantic · about identity and obsession · nonlinear

Via
  • dark
  • romantic
  • identity
  • obsession
  • nonlinear
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
112 min
Details
MaîtresseHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Handmaiden

2016

A lush, twisting tale of desire and deception that keeps you off-balance, blending cruelty with tenderness in a sumptuous, unsettling experience.

Dark, romantic · about obsession and love · nonlinear

Via
  • dark
  • romantic
  • obsession
  • love
  • nonlinear
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
145 min
Details
The HandmaidenHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Check-In

2026

A slow-burning, intimate drama that simmers with quiet tension and desire in a confined, downbeat setting.

Romantic · about identity and obsession

Via
  • romantic
  • identity
  • obsession
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Details
Check-InHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

American Beauty

1999

A darkly comic and haunting look at suburban malaise, blending satire with tragedy as it builds to a shocking yet oddly beautiful conclusion.

Dark · about identity and obsession · nonlinear

Via
  • dark
  • identity
  • obsession
  • nonlinear
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
122 min
Details
American BeautyHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Choose Me

1984

A dreamy, talky night-world of lonely people circling each other, by turns funny and sad, with a jazzy, offbeat rhythm.

Romantic, whimsical · about identity and love · nonlinear

Via
  • romantic
  • whimsical
  • identity
  • love
  • nonlinear
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
106 min
Details
Choose MeHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

Rent or buy
  • Apple TV Store
  • Rakuten TV
  • Sky Store

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
romance, drama, comedy
Directed by
Steven Shainberg
Written by
Erin Cressida Wilson
Starring
James Spader, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jeremy Davies, Lesley Ann Warren, Stephen McHattie, Patrick Bauchau, Jessica Tuck, Osgood Perkins
Music
Angelo Badalamenti
Cinematography
Steven Fierberg
Runtime
111 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
English

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata