Movie Notes: Mr. Holmes (2015)

The 93-Year Old Sherlock who has been in retirement and is now spending his days in a Sussex estate, where he tends his apiary. Almost senile and only clings on the consumption of Royal Jelly and Prickly Ash which he personally acquired in Japan, he tries to remember the details of his last case which have drove him into retirement. He tries to discover the real circumstances and retell the story of his last case in his own perspective - apart from the mainstream perspective of John Watson.

The case involved a young married woman, who upon request by her husband who was worried that she was slipping into madness or was under some form of sorcery inflicted by her music teacher.

With the help of Roger, his housekeeper's son, they unravel the events of his last case in a fashion that Sherlock Holmes has been known for - deduction.

Ian Mckellen's performance was amazing and he delivered a strong performance. The story structure was successful in providing multiple arching stories without confusing the audience so much although some scenes were quite predictable.

Mr. Holmes provides another view on the complex Sherlock Holmes character - which is at the backdrop of senility and old age. It is melancholic as the theme slightly touches the looming arrival of death and at the same time the rediscovery of Holmes in his last days a new perspective and reflections about his life. 

This movie touches on the multi-faceted perspectives of life and the stories that make it up - which can either be our story as told by other people or how we tell it ourselves. It also deals about the concept of loss and grief with the  story of the married woman and her unborn children. 

But what struck me the most is the realization of Holmes of his ego and his regrets of not being able to make amends with the people he alienated because of the events of his last case especially Watson. His realization of his lack of empathy and his value of logic over everything else have caused him to lose people in his life. This is a common truth that sometimes what we say or rather how we say things can sometimes affect other people profoundly. Thus, later on Holmes learned that saying what other people want to hear instead of the cold truth can save them.

The movie is worth watching and sadly it is on limited release here in the Philippines. Holmes is based on Mitch Cullin’s novel “A Slight Trick of the Mind”,  and is directed by Bill Condon