Movie Review: "Quills" Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Kate Winslet and Geoffrey Rush

Quills goes against common norms in contemporary films of the same caliber by illustrating acts considered highly taboo within our society. Still, it's not about the shock factor, but the story that lay within. It forces the viewer to peer deeper into everyday life and understand the satire that "Quills" is making of it by displaying the issues society doesn't wish to address about those they consider beneath them.

The beauty of Cherton Insane Asylum, where the story takes place, lies not in its picturesque French countryside setting, but in its comparable representation of the people frowned upon by society; shown in the patients and staff you meet there. You have Beauchamp, who represents all prisoners. Fischard, who enjoys to setting fires, is alike to anyone who has obsessive behaviors, or has ever been obsessed. Another inmate constantly dresses in woman's clothes; he stands for those who seek to be the opposite sex and thus reject themselves subconsciously.

Madelyn represents those who chose to associate with people who are considered socially unacceptable. Madelyn's mother, a blind woman, stands for the disabled generally ignored by the world. This perception even branches to include: The Abbey, who stands for the Church; Dr. Coyard, who stands for corrupt politicians and government; and the Marquis, who stands for the individual.

The Marquis represents the individual throughout the film because of his choice not to follow what others in authority have told him to do-namely the Church and the Government. For example, when the Abbey first appeals to him to stop his lecherous writings he agrees, but later pens a farce, "The Crimes of Love", for performance at the Cherton Theatre, highlighting Dr. Coyard's personal sex life, or lack thereof. This merely earns him the loss of his quills, ink, and parchment. Thus, stripping him of his ability to write, or his level of education that many failed to posses during those times.