Director: Harry Bradbeer
Cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, Sam Claflin, Helena Bonham Carter, Louis Partridge
Language: English
Sherlock Holmes usually reminds us of Baker’s Street, Dr. Watson, a top hat, the smoking pipe, and much more recently, Benedict Cumberbatch. In the long list of spinoffs that the prestigious mystery series has given rise to, there comes another intrepid one, this time on the lesser known sister of the popular detective. The movie is based on a book series by Nancy Springer and is now streaming on Netflix.
Enola Holmes (played by Millie Bobby Brown) is a tough, intelligent young woman who is home-schooled by her revolutionary mother Eudoria (Helena Bonham Carter). Enola is not your traditional lady of the 1800s. She knows jujutsu, plays chess, solves ciphers, and believes firmly that she can make it alone in the world. On Enola’s 16th birthday her mother vanishes leaving behind a few clues for her industrious daughter. But Enola now becomes her brother Mycroft’s (Sam Claflin) ward who wants her to go to a finishing school and learn to become a lady. Her other famous brother Sherlock Holmes (Henry Cavill) understands the young woman’s unique ways but remains distant. Soon, Enola flees and tries to find her wayward mother. On her way she meets and also saves the life of the young Viscount of Tewksbury (Louis Partridge) who is on the run from his own fate. In a cat-and-mouse tale filled with adventures and some witty screenplay, we soon witness Enola joining with her mother, making Sherlock proud with her sleuthing skills, and carving her own path in London.
Millie Bobby Brown carries the film on her shoulders with some cracking dialogues and no-apologies-given acting. She pulls off the role of a young London woman with aplomb but also does not allow her billowing skirts and restricting corsets to stop her for giving a good punch to a man’s face. For Enola, her corsets serve the purpose of protecting her from knife wounds and to keep her money safe. Henry Cavill as Sherlock is distant, moody but also shows some pride and care for his astray sister. He is okay to be bested by Enola and Cavill has his moments when he finds out that his sister has beaten him in his own game. Sam Cleflin as the bossy Mycroft leaves nothing for us to like, just as the character is sketched out to be. Another great character is Louis Partridge as the young Viscount. Straying from tradition, we do not have a damsel in distress in Enola Holmes. But rather, a young to-be-Lord in distress and it is Enola who rushes to his rescue time and again. The blossoming relationship aside, it is empowering to see Enola fight her way through, literally, in a man’s world to save a man. “You’re a man when I tell you you’re a man,” declares Enola to the young Viscount, even as she throws away a flower, he gives her, thereby perfectly surmising her character.
The fight sequences with some great detailing deserve special mention. They are not softened to befit a woman like its sometimes done but rather show off Enola’s skills as a daring young lady. Also, a hat tip to the screenplay written by Jack Throne that celebrates its female lead with gusto. Time and again, we hear about the women suffrage movement, and we also encounter women who want to change the world. The female gaze occupies an important space in Enola Holmes.
The film has strong undertones of the changing political landscape in yesteryear England which reminded me of the famed TV series Downton Abbey. A Dowager who refuses to give in to change, sprawling castles, well-groomed ladies and amidst them is Enola, who chooses her own fate. Will her budding sleuthing skills put her on par with her famous brother? With her jujutsu skills and quick wit, Enola and Sherlock would make for a great duo on screen for sure!
Rating: 3/5
