I can only hope you have seen, or will considering seeing, the great movie Enola Holmes(2020). Filled with a roller coaster of emotions, this movie demonstrates the reality for most teenagers of what it means to come of age, as shown by the heartbreak, disappointment, false hope, and betrayal Enola experiences. Netflix truly outdid themselves with this wonderful film, capturing the essence of the message they wanted to show. This film is directed towards the young adult audience, giving them an idea of what it is to be on your own in the big world: “The name Enola is spelled alone backwards,” stated Millie Bobby Brown in her part as Enola.

They do an extravagant job of capturing the truth of what growing up really is, making sure to not give their audience a false hope of what adulthood really means. For many people, being an adult means getting cast out into the world on your own–you are mostly alone, and it is your time to figure out what you will do with your life. Enola Holmes shows what it mean to be alone: having to be your own friend, because, at the end of the day, anyone could become your enemy. It tells us what it means to be the only person you have, the one to pick yourself up when you fall.

Millie Bobby Brown, a 16-year-old English actress, most notably accredited for her work on Netflix’s Stranger Things(2016-),  plays her role as Enola Holmes magnificently. From spending 15 years with her mother, than the next day waking up and discovering that not even a hair to be found of her. In the film, she portrays a young 16-year-old woman that defies all odds of what a women “should be like.” She does it all from fencing. fighting, problem solving, and dealing with heartbreak. It provides a strong message regarding what teen hood means to young girls: that they are not limited to what they can do, but rather, they can choose themselves what they are capable of.

I feel as if this movie has an important meaning to it. It is empowering young girls with the idea that if they think they can, than they more than surely will do what they set their mind on. In today’s society, many people are taught from a young age of what is acceptable. The reality of the subject is that not one person is limited to what they can, and cannot do. It is okay to not want to wear certain clothing, not look a certain way, choose a different way to do your hair, select not popular colors to wear, and not act a certain way. I think that many young children and teens need to know that they are capable of accomplishing so much more than what society rules “acceptable” for them, and Enola does an excellent job at showing that by defining the odds of all those standards.

Personally, I believe this film could not have done a better job of bringing to light the standards most women are told to fit in order to be, and feel accepted by society. I was devastated when the movie had come to an end. You stay questioning yourself about: “What will happen next?” I highly recommend this to those who need a little reminder about what it means to be a teen coming to your adolescent years, and as well what it means to be a ‘rule breaker’ in the best way possible. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, but not to be alarmed–Netflix has already confirmed that a part two will be in the works very soon due to the immense amount of support they received from the first film.