"Enola Holmes", with actress Millie Bobby Brown, is available on Netflix since September 23, 2020. If we liked its liberating feminine point of view, the film left us with a bitter taste … Blame it on a performance ambiguity of feminism that we would have done without.
Enola Holmes offers a dream casting: Millie Bobby Brown, star of the series Stranger Things, plays the little sister of Sherlok Holmes. As for the latter, he is embodied by Henry cavill, known for his portrayal of Superman. In the film produced by Netflix, we discover that the brother of the famous detective also excels in investigations and has a strong character. It has to be, because the teenager will have to go in search of her missing mother, Eudoria, and confront the hardcore patriarchy of the late 19th century, when she received a feminist education. So, Enola Holmes is it THE girl power entertainment we needed? We have looked into the matter. And despite a very tempting recipe, serious fakes end up spoiling the sauce.
The female gaze in the spotlight
The female gaze, this adoption of a feminine point of view so dear to our hearts, is undoubtedly present in Enola Holmes. With the story set in 19th-century England, the young woman evolves in a patriarchal society in a rancid formula, seen here through her critical eyes. On the production side, the female gaze is at its peak, since with great daring, the "fourth wall" (the one that stands between the screen and the audience) is broken. Enola is indeed addressing us directly, to claim her emancipation and explain how her loneliness forged her.
Feminism from mother to daughter
Another good point: the privileged and touching relationship between Enola and his mother, Eudoria, played by Helena Bonham Carter. Thanks to her, the teenager received an education based on female independence and she excels in science, literature … as well as fighting. A background that will serve him throughout his investigation, and that is the strength of the film: a message about transmission that touches us deeply.
Better still: this story of marginal education at the time highlights the misogyny of society, and takes us back to our times, ultimately not so different than what some may think. Between the teenager and the rest of the world, there is a gulf, a pretext for the most comical situations. As for the way in which the character has evolved since childhood, it opens up a reflection on feminism. Who, unfortunately, ends up breaking his face …
A reductive representation
In Enola Holmes, women's right to vote is at the heart of the discussions. In addition to the teenager's complicit asides about her desire to emancipate herself, the context in which the character operates is that of a female rebellion. During her investigation, Enola discovers more about her mother: the latter would be a fervent activist, who leads the feminist suffragette movement … The problem is that this part is treated in a too superficial way. and even, frankly caricatured.
// Warning, spoiler // Because after having presented Eudoria to us as an irresponsible mother, whom we want to blame for having abandoned her daughter, the plot reveals to us that she builds bombs, to defend, we understand, gender equality. The portrait of a dangerous "extremist" feminist is then drawn. This is the greatest awkwardness of this film: this character is seen only through the eyes of others. He is only given the floor at the end, which is insufficient and frustrating. The female gaze deflates, and the feminist appears for what it is in the eyes of director Harry Bradbeer: a simple historical backdrop.
In summary, on the form, Enola Holmes highlights the desire for emancipation, and we like it. But we would have preferred a more solid background, rather than a caricature of the feminist struggle. Result, the playful work proposed here distracted, but not convincing. Come on, pop feminism, just a little bit more!
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