Not alone: a queer reading of Enola Holmes

Abstract

ABSTRACT Although the boundaries of inclusivity in film stretch every year, there are still many walls to break through. For nonbinary youth, there is little to no representation in media, whether it be mainstream or queer focused. In recent studies conducted by psychologists around the world on the growing, minoritized gender, they found a prevalent need for media representation to aid in nonbinary youth’s mental health and access to resources. While major media industries may be slow to increase the diversity of sexuality and gender representation, the expansion of tropes, plots, and themes helps a more diverse audience resonate with a film and its characters. By conducting a textual analysis of Enola Holmes, I construct a theoretical framework of queer relational ambiguity to demonstrate how new coming-of-age films for a wider audience are more inclusive of queer viewers while not having an overtly queer cast. Although not anywhere close to the representation needed, these shifts in media resonate with queer communities in a way that can provide needed support.