"Do you plan on getting pregnant?" "Secretary," it soon becomes obvious, is a weird movie. It features self-mutilation, spanking, manacles and a worm -- not the typical touchstones of a love story.

had already appeared in movies like Mona Lisa Smile and Donnie Darko when she landed the lead role of Lee Holloway in the 2002 erotic dark comedy Secretary. But it was this starring role ...