A 2015 film based on the 2005 novel A Slight Trick of the Mind by Mitch Cullin. Ian McKellen stars as Sherlock.
The year is 1947 and the famed detective, aged 93, has lived the past 30 years in retirement on the Sussex coast. The film deftly weaves three stories: Holmes' visit to Japan, his budding relationship with the 14 year old son of his housekeeper and his struggle with a fading memory while he attempts to set down on paper the story of his final case.
A well-paced, tender, poignant tale of the famous detective battling his final nemesis, his failing body, and finally realizing the consequences of his lifelong obsession choosing logic over emotion.
There's many subtle and satisfying bits of pleasure in viewing this film and foremost is watching a fine actor at work as the story shifts back and forth between the detective at age 63 and 93. Extraordinary.
And, you get some lessons on beekeeping, a hobby that the boy and Sherlock bond over. If you remember, this is how Conan Doyle ended his Sherlock series with Holmes retiring and taking up this avocation. He puts forth the idea that he prefers the company of bees to those of people, implying that the occasional sting was much more tolerable to what his fellow human beings can dish out. This is a man who has been hurt, terribly, and his retreat behind the walls of logic was his remedy for pain.
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