Reviews

I watched this program from the USA, and really enjoy it. I found the reviews to be interesting, particularly the ones who fund fault with the depiction of Christians and said that the only bad people in the program were Christians. This person obviously did not watch all of the episodes, as the the primary antihero and everyone they associate with is Muslim. The one loudly self-proclaimed "Christian" in the program is taken advantage of by the "evil" Muslims and only has regrets that her stringent religious views left her exposed to extortion.

As to the reviewer here who says the BBC is shoving left wing ideology down her throat, she should learn how to use her remote control and turn the program off if it offends her. Making programming that presents transgendered or gay people as humans who have been discriminated against is representing a real part of society. No one is cramming anything down her throat, she's cramming her ignorance and hatefulness down ours.

While there is a moment at the end of this movie where the protagonist seems to have a chance at happiness, anyone should be able to see that her happiness relies on her being unhappy. I was not disturbed by the sexual nature of the film, but by the constant agony that Lee suffers. Yes, she seems to have moments of stolen pride when Mr Grey shames her. But the writing suffers horribly from the twisted logic that somehow she will find happiness in what she believes to be her new permanent role in his life.

If I had seen some sort of evidence that he would ever respect her, there would be some redemption in the movie. But after all of the horrible things he did to her that she sat their in someone else's wedding dress for two days messing herself and quite nearly shutting her system down with starvation seems a small victory for her and a temporary act of mercy by him. He will not be happy with the control she has gained over him, he's a true sadist. He needs to find another secretary who will be truly miserable with him, and he will make Lee miserable by going through a string of other women - something she can never control. An utterly hopeless stupid movie. I'd rather see a movie about submissive/dominance where people were clear about what their roles are and there was trust. NO TRUST in this movie at all. No hope for trust for the character's future.

If you want to see these characters - not necessarily the actors - in a movie where there his hope that someone has moved on in their own terms and come into a relationship in it's own right try Sex, Lies, and Videotape. It's depressing as hell too, but at least it ends with a bit of hope that the characters are helping each other and not just using each other.