Enola Holmes (Millie Bobby Brown), a Netflix original film, teaches us to be ourselves and to never allow anyone to define who we are and who we will be. The film reminds us that being alone doesn’t mean we are lonely. It just means that everyone must find their path and no one can do that for you.
“Sometimes you have to make noise if you want to be heard,” Eudoria, Enola’s mother, said.
Growing up as a girl isn’t easy. At a young age, girls are already told that they can’t do what the boys can do. Yet Enola was taught to decide her own destiny. Her journey in the city of London showed her how close-minded the world could be about a woman having her own future. But this doesn’t stand in Enola’s way, who’s forced to solve her own mystery in an attempt to find her mother.
Enola spelled backward is “alone,” a fact that she mentions many times throughout the film. Holmes’ childhood was spent in isolation, with her mother homeschooling her. Her mother, Eudoria, taught Holmes survival skills such as reasoning, deciphering, and combat. On her 16th birthday, Holmes woke to find her mother had given her a gift, but she had left without a trace, or so we thought.
“Paint your own picture, Enola. Never follow anyone else’s. Especially men,” Eudoria said.
After her mother’s disappearance, Sherlock and Mycroft, Enola’s older brother, returned to the countryside to find that Enola was not the “proper lady” they anticipated. Mycroft declared then that she would never fit into society, but Sherlock found her fascinating. He saw then she was more than a lady, but a brilliant mind as well. Yet, Holmes was Mycroft’s ward, which means his decision to place her finishing school was final. It was then the conflict was revealed, women have no rights, and the fight for female liberation would be a long one.
The night prior to Holmes’ first day in finishing school, she noticed that her mother hid a cypher in her birthday gift. The cypher revealed the money her mother hid away for her, so she decided to use the money to search for her mother. Her first phase in looking for Eudoria resulted in a run-in with Viscount Lord Tewksbury (Louis Partridge).
Tewksbury himself was also running from the same problem as Holmes. He didn’t want to be forced to be someone he wasn’t, so he also ran off to London. The only difference is that Enola had never left the countryside. Her first few steps would be completely different, as she started off dressed as a young boy. Every step she took was a new one, and with each one, she always referred to the teaching of her mother to guide her. She realized she didn’t need to be a lady to fit in, she just needed to look like one when necessary.
Elona was told from the beginning she would have to find her own path, and meeting Tewksbury was the true start to her journey. Along her journey, she helped protect him in hopes to benefit the cause that her mother and many other women were fighting for, women’s suffrage. It was then that Elona knew that she should be as intelligent and as strong as anyone else.
“She would have never technically fitted in, she would have been an outcast,” Z- andre Hicks said, a Greensboro resident.
Brown is well known for her role as Eleven in Stranger Things. In both Netflix productions, Brown shows the same resilience. Even when faced with monsters, Brown has portrayed both roles with strength and perseverance. Though the movie was longer than anticipated, it is still quite empowering. It should definitely be added to the next movie night.
Quendarius Williams, a junior social work student, recommends that others watch this movie as well.
“Even though it is long, it is a very inspirational movie. It teaches you not to go with standards, but to do yourself,” Williams said.
Let us know down below what did you think about ‘Enola Holmes’?
