Enola Holmes is here and I already have hearts in my eyes. Millie Bobby Brown stars as the titular character, who is searching for her missing mother. Based on the series The Enola Holmes Mysteries by Nancy Springer, the film adaptation dropped their trailer and boy, is it a doozy.
While a film based on Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes’ younger sister could have the potential to be amateurish, this trailer has proven otherwise. Brown is all pluck and sass as she gives us a quick rundown of her life and her mission in the trailer. Enola, raised by her mother Eudoria Holmes (Helena Bonham Carter), wakes up one morning to find her missing. She takes on the task of searching for her mother while her brothers Sherlock (Henry Cavill) and Mycroft (Sam Claflin) seem to have other plans for her.
Brown’s charm is on full display and in opposition to her role as Eleven in Stranger Things, Enola is no quiet, distant child. She’s headstrong, brave, independent, and intelligent enough to pull one over her two brothers. Speaking of her brothers, Cavill and Claflin initially seemed like odd picks to me for Sherlock and Mycroft but, again, the trailer proves me wrong. Cavill’s easy smile and Claflin’s prim indignation are perfect fits and the three siblings have a great rapport.
With a screenplay by Jack Thorne (His Dark Materials, Cursed Child) and direction from Harry Bradbeer (Fleabag, Killing Eve) it feels like we’re in safe hands. The film also features Fiona Shaw, Adeel Akhtar, Frances de la Tour, Louis Partridge, Susan Wokoma, and Burn Gorman.
Enola Holmes premieres on September 23, 2020, on Netflix.