Enola Holmes, a 2020 mystery movie, follows 16-year-old Enola, the younger sister of the famous Sherlock Holmes, on a mission to find her missing mother. Enola, the main character throughout the movie, is portrayed by Millie Bobby Brown, who began her career only four years ago as Eleven in the TV show Stranger Things. I would rate this film very highly; since we’ve all been spending more time inside without many opportunities for adventure, a thrilling mystery is precisely what we needed in 2020. I would recommend watching this movie as soon as possible as it is #6 in “Movies Today” on Netflix. Whether you want to put some brain-power into figuring out the mystery as Enola goes through the clues or sit back and watch the magic happen, this movie is one of the most clever things I have watched. I haven’t read or watched much mystery in my life, but I will be picking up a copy of a Sherlock Holmes book after this. But Enola Holmes is different: it is the story of a young girl many of us high school students can relate to. As far as acting goes, there is a wide range of experience and an equal amount of talent. Millie Bobby Brown impresses her audience once again with her acting abilities and incredible connection with the audience. This was certainly not an easy film to make at all; fighting and martial arts were involved, with many of those scenes included a beautiful yet heavy 19th-century dress worn by Brown. A newer face to the screen, Louis Partridge, who portrays Lord Tweksbury, shows outstanding talent primarily through Tweksbury’s relationship with Enola, automatically introducing a lovable character to the audience. A familiar face in this movie is Helena Bonham Carter, who portrays Enola’s mother. Many have seen her in Harry Potter, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Ocean’s 8 and many more. The actors in the movie are a reason on their own to watch this film; however, the plotline is even more exciting.

Enola takes the audience through a personal adventure of finding her mother, who went missing on the morning of her 16th birthday. She begins by remembering the unusual yet exciting childhood she had with her mother by her side the entire time. From playing tennis inside their 16th century home to practicing defense moves from fighting in their backyard, Enola experiences a childhood many children only dream of. Her education was not traditional; it consisted of reading her older brother’s books and practicing chemistry with her mother, her best friend. It shocked Enola when she left her without any explanation of where she would be going. Her mother did leave her one thing: a birthday present. 

Her mother’s disappearance left Enola with many questions, as this was incomparable to anything she had ever experienced. Enola’s older brothers, Mycroft, a government employee and Sherlock, arrived shortly after hearing the news of their missing mother; Sherlock had worked as a detective and hadn’t seen Enola since she was a baby. Although Sherlock is an accomplished detective, Enola took this mission into her own hands. Remembering small details about her relationship with her mother and other clues along the way, Enola found herself traveling to London searching for her mother and the reasoning behind her disappearance, making new friends along the way.

While on the train to London, Enola meets Tewksbury, a Lord, who is on the run from the path he has been forced to follow by his family. While hesitant at first, as this throws a wrench in her plan to find her mother, Enola befriends the Lord and helps him on his way to London to hide from his family. This relationship is not one Enola had envisioned, as it includes jumping off a moving train and giving Tewksbury a new disguise. Once arriving in London, the two part ways while Enola gets a new look herself and a place to stay while continuing to solve her mother’s mystery. Throughout her time in London, she meets new faces, which help with piecing together missing facts about what her mother is up to and testing what her mother taught her growing up, such as self-defense.  

This film is a period piece, unfolding in the 19th century. Enola Holmes was filmed throughout England, specifically London, Bedfordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire. The setting creates a feeling of simplicity many of us long for during modern times. With beautiful shots of 19th century London and pre-modern technology, the audience feels as though they have gone back to simpler times, where one couldn’t search for answers on the internet. Enola’s wit and cleverness led her not only to London to find her mother, but to another mission along the way. 

Throughout this exciting story, the audience can see a strong, young woman become as her mother had always hoped she would be; smart, independent, and intelligent–like her older brother Sherlock. It is nice to have young women have the leading role in a mystery, showing girls worldwide that anything is possible with cleverness and hard work, and adventure is out there.