Enola Holmes

 

 

Movie, 2020, PG-13 

 

Premise - Enola Holmes, the sister of legendary detective Sherlock Holmes, is being forced away by her brothers to attend finishing school and become a lady, despite her mother raising her to be a fighter against the system of oppression against women. She runs away from home to find her mother, all while solving a mystery that even her brother could not figure out.

Review - This is a fantastically political film for something aimed at such a young audience. And I don't mean just the simple "girl power" feminist way that I was expecting. There's nothing wrong with that - simple feminism for young girls to teach them to be who they want to be. Strong and smart are not characteristics for girls to shy away from. In that way, it reminds me of like the "girl power" essence of classic Emma Watson characters like Hermione or Belle (I've always thought of Millie Bobby Brown as a young Emma Watson in many ways). 

 

However, this film to me goes way beyond that prototypical feminism into much deeper political discussions. For one, Enola recognizes tools of oppression against her and uses them to her own benefit. The corset, for example, is a literal tool of oppression, restricting women's bodily movement. Enola not only understands this, but subverts it. She explicitly uses this to her advantage, hiding money in her corset where no one will find it, and using it as disguise to escape her brother. When she puts on the corset by choice instead of by force, it becomes a tool for her own freedom. 

 

Second, the entire mystery is centered around extending voting rights when the Lord (who wants to enact extended voting rights) goes missing and is being hunted for murder. The voting rights are not for women - this would have been too early - but the intention is to extend voting rights to all men as opposed to a select few. Feminism and democracy are no doubt interrelated, as are all forms of oppression, that stem from concentrated as opposed to diffuse power. We see this too in the general themes of the film about "old" vs "new" ways. Your world is dying, is what Enola says to the murderous grandma who wants to protect old, patriarchal, oligarchal ways. Turns out the villain is an old woman, which is important, too. The level of internalized oppression runs deep.

 

And finally, anti-violence as a response to mass oppression is not shamed in the way most mainstream media would. Enola's mother leaves home with the intention of bombing up London and starting a revolution. Upon finding this out, Enola and Sherlock are initially hurt and confused. However, Enola inevitably realizes the importance of her mother's work for greater change. Violence and revolution ARE historically what has made change, despite obviously not wanting it that way. 

I should keep the rest of my thoughts to a minimum because I already have hopes to see any sequel(s) that come out. I'm now also realizing it was based on a book series so maybe I should read that too, despite it likely being aimed at much younger audiences. (82/100)

Quote - "Perhaps she wants to change the world." "Perhaps it's a world that needs changing."

What to watch for - THE COSTUMES MILLIE BOBBY BROWN GETS TO WEAR. Oh my goodness I want to dress up in Victorian times and wear pretty dresses like that. Not the corset dresses, god no. The flowy and practical ones that remind me of Emma Watson in Beauty and the Beast. Also Millie Bobby Brown's long hair in this is top-tier. What a look.

If you liked this movie, I'd recommend Beauty and the Beast 2017! 

 

Based on the book series by Nancy Springer

Directed by Harry Bradbeer

Distributed by Netflix