Enola Holmes is a Netflix movie starring Millie Bobby Brown. It is about Enole and her escape from her assertive, sexist brothers’ (Sherlock, and Mycroft Holmes) hands with the help of a boy (who happens to have a seat in House of Lords) after her mother left her. She is a “wild” girl, from that time’s perspective. She doesn’t know how to embroider or properly cook but knows how to fight, and reads a lot. I overall liked the movie.
I really liked the costumes. They made us feel like we were in that atmosphere. They seemed to be carefully designed, and fit the place. The actor diversity was good too. Usually in movies where the time is a bit far away, such as Britain in 1800’s; there are no Indian, Black, Asian, etc. actors. There was a Black actress, and a Pakistani-Kenyan actor in managerial roles. It was a breath of fresh air. The story was pulling me into itself. I didn’t know whether or not Lord Tewksbury was dead in a scene, I didn’t know if Enole would be able to escape, etc. The story was flowing.
The thing I didn’t especially like was Brown’s speeches made directly into the camera. It’s not her fault, they made her do it but they were really weird. There should’ve been a narrator telling the story, not Enola herself. Also I don’t think Brown is fit to play a comedic character. She was really good in Stranger Things, her mimics and gestures were shining but not this time. This role didn’t fit her acting style. The other thing I didn’t like was the naiveness of the movie. It’s not a crime to be naive but it undermined a lot of issues women are facing today. The movie had a motto something like “we girls can decide our future if we want to”. This may be the case in Britain’s situation or other countries but this is not the case in many other countries. There are so many other barriers such as financial difficulties, family dynamics, religious and societal pressure that prevent women from doing what they actually want. It simplified a huge issue to an issue of whether or not wanting something or not. The societal pressure aspect was there, but I wish it discussed another aspects such as financial difficulties. Other than that, it’s good to be hopeful and hope every woman decide what they want to do with their life.
Good review!