Enola Holmes (PG-13), on Netflix
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This is based on a series of books by Nancy Springer, which I haven't read. I'm putting my review under "mystery films", but I might put it under "period films" instead, if I had such a category. (I'm sure if I ever create one, I'll add a link to this review there, as well.) It's not exactly my idea of a straightforward mystery story, though it does involve a couple of different mysteries for the title character (played by Millie Bobby Brown) to solve. She's not yet a detective, though she has the skills to become one. And the mysteries aren't quite of the sort normally found in mystery stories. They involve the disappearance of Enola's mother, Eudoria (Helena Bonham Carter), and the attempted murder of a young viscount (actually a marquess, since the recent murder of his father) named Tewkesbury.

The movie begins with Enola narrating about her upbringing by her mother; her father had died when she was little, and her older brothers Sherlock (Henry Cavill) and Mycroft had moved away to pursue their careers. Eudoria taught Enola many things, including jujitsu, but none of the things a lady was expected to know, in Victorian England. Enola continues to narrate a bit throughout the film, and often makes asides (sometimes merely meaningful glances) to the audience. On her sixteenth birthday, Enola wakes up to find her mother has left without a word. Sherlock and Mycroft soon come to deal with the situation. Enola is deemed Mycroft's ward, and he just wants to send her off to a finishing school run by Miss Harrison (Fiona Shaw), which Enola is very much against. Meanwhile, Sherlock is supposed to try to find Eudoria.

One night, Enola figures out a clue her mother had left for her, which leads her to a hidden stash of money. She steals some of her brother's old clothes to disguise herself as a boy, and sets off on her own to investigate her mother's disappearance. On the train, she meets Tewkesbury, who is running away from home because he was afraid he would hate the life that has been laid out before him. Then, a man in a brown bowler hat- his name is Linthorn (Burn Gorman), but it's never spoken in the movie- tries to kill Tewkesbury, and Enola helps him escape. After that, they make their way to London, and go their separate ways.

I don't want to reveal any real details of Enola's investigation, but she meets a woman named Edith, a friend of Eudoria's who teaches jujitsu to suffragettes. She also meets Tewkesbury's family, including his mother, uncle, and grandmother, as part of her investigation into who was behind the attempted murder of Tewkesbury. And she meets Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard. And eventually Mycroft catches up with her and sends her to the finishing school, but she eventually manages to escape, with Tewkesbury's help. And... the plot against Tewkesbury is eventually foiled. I won't reveal who was behind it or why, but I wasn't especially surprised by it. I still liked it, though. As for Eudoria, I won't reveal anything about her. But in the end, Enola decides to become a detective.

Well, I thought it was a very fun story, and I liked most of the main characters, particularly Enola. And I like me a good bit of feminism and class struggles, and whatnot. I didn't think the movie was perfect, but I'd be hard pressed to point to any specific flaws. I wish I could think of more to say about why I liked the movie, but anyway... I look forward to watching the sequel.

Followed by "Enola Holmes 2"