This is a drama and mystery film directed by Bill Condon and starring Ian McKellen as the iconic detective Sherlock Holmes.
The story is based on the novel “A Slight Trick of the Mind” by Mitch Cullin and is set in the 1940s, when Holmes is retired and living in a country house in Sussex, England.
The plot begins with a 93-year-old Sherlock Holmes struggling with his deteriorating memory and loneliness. As he drifts away from his life as a detective, he devotes himself to tending his garden and keeping bees.
However, his mind is still haunted by an unsolved case that has haunted him for years: the mysterious disappearance of a woman named Ann Kelmot, whose husband, a jealous man, becomes the prime suspect.
The story unfolds in three timelines: the present, where Holmes tries to recall the details of the case, and two flashbacks that show his active life as a detective and his relationship with his partner, Dr. John Watson.
In the present, Holmes is assisted by a young man named Roger (played by Milo Parker), the housekeeper's son, who becomes his confidant and apprentice.
Roger is curious and perceptive, which helps Holmes recover some fragments of his memory.
As Holmes and Roger investigate the Ann Kelmot case, profound themes about memory, loss, and the nature of time are revealed.
Holmes confronts his own regrets and reflects on his life, his relationships and the choices he has made.
Through his relationship with Roger, Holmes also learns about the importance of human connection and personal redemption.
Ian McKellen's performance is acclaimed for its depth and subtlety, bringing a new dimension to the character of Sherlock Holmes. Bill Condon's direction, along with beautiful cinematography and a moving score, creates a nostalgic and melancholy atmosphere that accompanies the story.
›Reseña de la película "Mr. Holmes" (2015) [ESP / ENG]@vickaboleyn1048d
Nota de la autora / Author's note: Puede contener spoilers. La traducción al inglés fue realizada con ayuda de / It may contain spoilers. The English translation was made with the help of DeepL Translate.
**Fuente de la imagen / Source of the image: [FilmAffinity](https://www.filmaffinity.com/es/film875350.html)**
Español
Transcurre el año 1947, dos años después de haber terminado la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Sherlock Holmes, de 93 años, viaja en un ferrocarril con destino a su casa de campo en la campiña inglesa, en donde vive junto con su ama de llaves, la señora Munro, y el hijo pequeño de ésta, Roger. Entre sus manos lleva una caja que contenía una rama de pimiento japonés, del cual se dice que tiene propiedades curativas capaces de elevar la capacidad de la memoria humana, tan esquiva en ese momento para él, quien quiere plasmar en su diario el último caso que lo obligó a retirarse del oficio.
Con esta particular escena inicia Mr. Holmes, del director estadounidense Bill Condon y protagonizado por Ian McKellen, Laura Linney y Milo Parker, estrenado en 2015. El film está basado en el libro A Slight Trick of the Mind, de Mitch Cullin.
El film plantea al espectador la idea sobre cómo sería Sherlock Holmes en la vida real y ya en la vejez avanzada, respetando siempre la esencia del Holmes creado por sir Arthur Conan Doyle, pero abordando temáticas como el sentido de la pérdida, de la nostalgia, de la percepción del fracaso como un fin del mundo, y de las relaciones interpersonales durante la vejez.
Vemos a un Holmes de avanzada edad, ensimismado en su pasatiempo favorito, la apicultura, así como en sus intentos de recordar cómo fue el desarrollo del último caso que lo obligó a retirarse de la profesión con el que se hizo conocido gracias a las habilidades literarias de su eterno compañero de aventuras, el doctor John Watson. Estos recuerdos son presentados al espectador a través de flashbacks, en donde vemos a una mujer de mediana edad en estado depresivo luego de sufrir dos abortos instantáneos, planeando en suicidarse ante la incomprensión e indiferencia de su marido; éste contrata a Holmes para seguirla, pensando que se trataba de una suerte de rebelión instantánea luego de negarle a que se erigieran lápidas con los nombres de los hijos que no llegaron a nacer.
Pero al mismo tiempo que Holmes empieza a recordar cómo fue aquel aciago caso, también comienza a rememorar su viaje al Japón, en donde fue recibido por un tal Tamiki Umezaki, cuyo padre abandonó a él y a su madre siendo éste un niño apenas, y quien porfía que conoció al señor Holmes en algún momento de su vida... Aunque en realidad ninguno de los dos se conocieron.
Este detalle fue lo que más me ha gustado del film, junto con el argumento en general. Una narrativa sencilla, pero siempre atenta al detalle. Las actuaciones de McKellen, Linney y Parker me parecieron formidables; cada uno imprimió en su personaje un poco de sí mismos, haciéndolos parecer tan reales que el espectador termina con las ganas de abrazarlos. Sin duda el film ha logrado retratar a una familia separada que se une ante distintas tragedias de la vida (en el caso de Holmes, la muerte de la esposa de su cliente; en el caso de la señora Munro y Roger, la pérdida del esposo/padre), llegando a haber una suerte de empatía entre ambas partes solitarias y comprendiendo que muchas veces los fracasos en realidad son solo lecciones que la vida nos da.
English
It's 1947, two years after the World War II had ended. 93 years old Sherlock Holmes travels by train to his country house in the English countryside, where he lives with his housekeeper, Mrs. Munro, and her young son, Roger. In his hands he carries a box containing a branch of Japanese bell pepper, which is said to have curative properties capable of raising the capacity of human memory, so elusive at that time for him, who wants to record in his diary the last case that forced him to retire from the profession.
With this particular scene begins Mr. Holmes, from American director Bill Condon and starring Ian McKellen, Laura Linney and Milo Parker, released in 2015. The movie was based in the book A Slight Trock of the Mind, by Mitch Cullin.
The film introduces to the viewer the idea of how could be Sherlock Holmes in real life, and in old age, alway respecting the essence of the Holmes created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but addressing themes such as the sense of loss, nostalgia, the perception of failure as an end of the world, and interpersonal relationships in old age.
We see an elderly Holmes, engrossed in his favorite hobby, the apiculture, as well as in his attempts to recall the development of the last case that forced him to retire from the profession with which he became known thanks to the literary skills of his eternal companion of adventures, Dr. John Watson. These memories are presented to the viewer through flashbacks, where we see a middle-aged woman in a depressive state after suffering two miscarriages, planning to commit suicide before the incomprehension and indifference of her husband, who hires Holmes to follow her, thinking it was a kind of instant rebellion after refusing to erect tombstones with the names of the children who were never born.
But at the same time that Holmes begins to remember how that fateful case went, he also begins to recall his trip to Japan, where he was received by a certain Tamiki Umezaki, whose father abandoned him and his mother when he was just a child, and who claims that he met Mr. Holmes at some point in his life... Although in reality neither of them ever met.
This detail was what I liked the most, along the general argument. A simple narrative, but always attentive to detail. I found the performances of McKellen, Linney and Parker formidable; each one imprinted a bit of themselves on their characters, making them seem so real that the viewer ends up wanting to give them a hug. Undoubtedly, the film has managed to portray a separated family that unites in the face of different tragedies in life (in the case of Holmes, the death of his client's wife; in the case of Mrs. Munro and Roger, the loss of the husband/father), reaching a sort of empathy between both lonely parties and understanding that many times failures are really just lessons that life gives us.
Ver o leer algo relacionado al personaje Sherlock Holmes cada cierto tiempo es inevitable, al menos para mi. En esta ocasión, tenemos una historia basada en una novela que nos muestra a un Holmes de 93 años. La película se estrenó el 2015, siendo director Bill Condon.
Seeing or reading something related to the character Sherlock Holmes every now and then is inevitable, at least for me. This time, we have a story based on a novel that shows us a 93 year old Holmes. The film was released in 2015, with Bill Condon as director.
Sinopsis: Un Sherlock Holmes de 93 años, exiliado en un pueblo alejado de todo lo que lo hizo famoso, vive con un ama de llaves y un niño curioso. Él, debido a su senilidad, no recuerda el caso que lo hizo dejar todo; así que toma como objetivo completar su última historia, volviendo a recordar y resolver aquel ya lejano caso.
Synopsis: A 93-year-old Sherlock Holmes, exiled in a village far from everything that made him famous, lives with a housekeeper and a curious boy. He, due to his senility, does not remember the case that made him leave everything; so he takes as an objective to complete his last story, returning to remember and solve that already distant case.
Luego de un inicio un tanto confuso, vemos que la trama se muestra en 3 tiempos distintos, en donde vemos la situación actual de Holmes, así como lo que hizo en un viaje a Japón y los momentos donde ocurrió el caso en cuestión. La trama irá desarrollando los personajes y pormenores lentamente pero de manera agradable, dándonos oportunidad para entender los problemas.
After a somewhat confusing beginning, we see that the plot is shown in 3 different times, where we see the current situation of Holmes, as well as what he did on a trip to Japan and the moments where the case in question occurred. The plot will develop the characters and details slowly but nicely, giving us the opportunity to understand the problems.
Sobre el caso a resolver, lo que intenta mostrar es cómo no se puede resolver todo a pura lógica, sino que hay una parte emocional que también debe ser resuelta; eso al menos da para una reflexión interesante.
About the case to be solved, what it tries to show is how not everything can be solved by pure logic, but there is an emotional part that must also be solved; that at least gives for an interesting reflection.
La actuación de Ian McKellen como Sherlock es excepcional, de lo mejor que he visto en los últimas semanas. También Milo Parker hizo un buen trabajo como Roger. En aspecto de escenarios y vestuarios, creo que el trabajo es correcto.
Ian McKellen's performance as Sherlock is exceptional, one of the best I've seen in recent weeks. Milo Parker also did a good job as Roger. In terms of sets and costumes, I think the work is fine.
Esta mirada al menos un tanto distinta a un caso de Sherlock Holmes es entretenida y da para la reflexión. Recomendable.
This at least somewhat different look at a Sherlock Holmes case is entertaining and gives food for thought. Recommended.
The last time I talked about Back Roads, I mentioned there that the next movie I would see would be Mr. Holmes, and it was. I must say that in the film I found relatively what I expected to find, not a film that gave prominence to the mystery and skills of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes, but a more human vision, a Holmes that many would say is in decline due to the loss of physical abilities, but nevertheless, he finds greater internal lucidity than he ever had before.
Year: 2015
Category: Drama, Mystery.
Director: Bill Condon.
Cast: Ian McKellen, Laura Linney, Hiroyuki Sanada, Milo Parker, Hattie Morahan.
Plot
Set primarily during his retirement in Sussex, the film follows a 93-year-old Holmes who struggles to recall the details of his final case because his mind is slowly deteriorating.
Opinion
The film begins by showing how an old Mr. Holmes, 93 years old, arrives at a farm, where he lives together with Mrs. Munro, who is his housekeeper, and her son Roger. Holmes at this point in his life and with a very defective memory is writing a short novel about his last case, the one that caused his retirement, mainly because it seemed wrong the way in which Watson described what happened in his novels, where the resolution of the case was altered, however, Holmes fails to remember clearly what happened 30 years ago when that happened.
So throughout the film three timelines are created, the first, the one in which old Holmes shares with Mrs. Munro's son, Roger, who teaches him about beekeeping, and with whom he develops a friendship while Roger also reads the novel he writes. On the other hand, we see a second time line that goes back 30 years to the past, showing the last case of Holmes, case that does not remember accurately. Finally, we see a third time line that goes back to a recent past in which Holmes travels to Japan.
Something you should know about this film is that the figure of Sherlock Holmes by itself has no great preponderance, easily the film could be any other detective, or at least one very good, because what the director tries to delve is not the analytical characteristics of the character, and his cunning and insight when solving mysteries, no, the director tries to study the more human side of the character, not their skills, for this portrays an old Holmes and with a defective memory, the director deprives Holmes of much of his ability, because his goal is not to show the great detective we all know, but his human side, the fragility of a Holmes after a long career and the reflection that he himself makes about what has done over the years.
In that sense the film does not prioritize in the mysteries to solve, but in what those mysteries mean for the personal development that Holmes crosses, probably, in his last days. The timelines should only be understood not in consideration of the mysteries that it solves, but all as a single explanation to the evolution that the character has.
The film is a kind of antithesis of what are superhero movies or The Fast and the Furious, there is no action here, do not expect it, because you will not find it, it is not a thriller either, this is mainly and almost exclusively a drama.
The direction work done by Bill Condon here seemed quite good, it was a very nice film and that certainly shows us the weakness of the human being to survive by itself when old age has arrived and the importance of the relationship that each one has with other people. Jeffrey Hatcher's script work was pretty good too, although according to some reviews I read, the timelines had no coherence or meaning, but personally I consider the opposite, without them the evolution of the character could not be explained, so it was a good job.
The performances were really very good too, Ian McKellen plays Holmes in a great way, not like it's usually portrayed, but still in an original and great way, appealing more to his human than intellectual side, without this meaning that he does not show his insight at times. Laura Linney does a great job too, I had time without seeing this actress, she really does very well all the time. Milo Parker, as the child actor of the film, does a convincing and charismatic work.
Well, I do not have much more to say, I liked the film, it shows a different face of Sherlock Holmes, although I do not know the opinion of the fans of the character about this film.
Trailer
Score
8/10
If you are the type of people who like movies that focus on exploring the most human side of people, then this movie may be for you, and at the time of publishing this review, I know that it is available for Germany, Canada , Japan, Switzerland in the Netflix catalog.
[Image](https://www.filmaffinity.com/ve/filmimages.php?movie_id=875350)
[Image](https://www.filmaffinity.com/ve/filmimages.php?movie_id=875350]
[Image](https://www.filmaffinity.com/ve/filmimages.php?movie_id=875350)
