Meet the Marquis de Sade. The pleasure is all his.
Overview
In early 19th-century France, the Marquis de Sade is confined to an asylum where his forbidden writings continue to circulate beyond its walls. As the authorities tighten control, a clash unfolds between the Marquis’ unyielding imagination, the reformist ideals of the Abbé in charge, and the repressive measures of a doctor sent to silence him. Desire, power, and censorship collide in a battle over freedom of expression.
Ratings
Curator score: 5.3/10
IMDb: 7.2/10
Letterboxd: 3.49/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 75%
Metacritic: 70
TMDB: 7.1/10
Director
Philip Kaufman
Production
Fox Searchlight Pictures, Industry Entertainment Partners, Walrus & Associates, Hollywood Partners
Cast
Geoffrey Rush, Kate Winslet, Joaquin Phoenix, Michael Caine, Billie Whitelaw, Patrick Malahide, Amelia Warner, Jane Menelaus, Stephen Moyer, Tony Pritchard, Michael Jenn, Danny Babington, George Antoni, Stephen Marcus, Elizabeth Berrington, Edward Tudor-Pole, Harry Jones, Bridget McConnell, Pauline McLynn, Rebecca Palmer
Curator Review
Verdict
A provocative, sharply acted historical drama about censorship, desire, and the politics of artistic freedom. It’s uneven in places, but the performances and the central moral conflict make it memorable and distinctive.
Best for
Viewers interested in taboo historical dramas
Fans of actor-driven period pieces
People drawn to stories about censorship and free expression
Audiences who can handle sexual content and bleak tonal turns
Skip if
You want a restrained or conventional costume drama
You’re put off by explicit sexual material and bodily imagery
You prefer historically tidy, purely factual biopics
You need a consistently even tone
Overview
Quills is the kind of period drama that refuses to behave politely. It turns the Marquis de Sade into a volatile symbol of artistic freedom, then sets him against institutions that claim moral authority while revealing their own appetites for control, punishment, and spectacle. The result is lurid, theatrical, and often deliberately uncomfortable.
Worth noting
What makes it work is the cast. Geoffrey Rush gives the film its dangerous center, Kate Winslet brings force and vulnerability, and Joaquin Phoenix adds a fascinating layer of conflicted devotion. Philip Kaufman stages the material with a restless energy that keeps the film from feeling like a museum piece, even when the script leans hard into provocation.
Bottom line
It’s not subtle, and it doesn’t always balance its tones gracefully, but it does have a strong point of view. If you’re interested in films about censorship, erotic obsession, and the cost of making art under repression, this is a striking and unusually fearless watch.
Top Letterboxd reviews
kemely (4★) · 901 likes
Joaquin Phoenix as Abbé de Coulmier walked so Andrew Scott as the hot priest in Fleabag could run.
amaya (4★) · 630 likes
very strong contestant for the horniest movie ever made
estela (3.5★) · 478 likes
joaquin being a hot priest thirsting over kate winslet the whole movie... that's insanely h*t
🗡 (3.5★) · 434 likes
rip marquis de sade 😞 he would’ve loved ao3 💔
thefondest (3.5★) · 297 likes
Oh my god the Marquis de Sade literally invented shitposting
A quieter period piece, but one that shares the fascination with art, desire, and unspoken tension.
Topics
period drama, erotic drama, historical fiction, censorship, forbidden desire, moral hypocrisy, dark satire, psychological tension, 18th century, provocative