Netflix’s new movie, “Damsel,” was released on Friday, March 8, starring Millie Bobby Brown and directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo. Even though there was a novel published in 2023 under the same name with the same story, Netflix’s film and the novel are both based on the same original screenplay by Dan Mazeau, just using different mediums to tell the story.
Elodie (Brown) and her family are invited to the Kingdom of Aurea for a wedding between Elodie and Prince Henry of Aurea (Nick Robinson). Due to the harsh and barren landscape of Elodie’s kingdom, she must overcome her personal feelings about the marriage for the good of her people. After the wedding, Elodie is taken to the top of a mountain for an ancient ceremonial tradition. Over a bridge, Henry throws her into a chasm to be a sacrifice to the beast living in the mountain. Elodie must traverse the many caverns in the mountain, hiding from the sight and hearing of the great dragon (voiced by Shohreh Aghdashloo) living inside the mountain. Elodie is only the second sacrifice of three to appease the dragon – but it’s all a lie.
The film is an incredible display of survival, beauty and intelligence. One of the great parts of the film is the amazing scenery depicted in the film. The Kingdom of Aurea is an abundant and fertile land that was filmed on a real vineyard in Italy. Other instances of beauty are in the realistic special effects. One of the first caverns in the mountain is full of stalactites and stalagmites. A swarm of screaming birds enter the cavern, all set on fire by the dragon. It is both stunning and horrifying.
Elodie is kind and intelligent from the very beginning. The first time she appears, she is chopping wood with her younger sister Floria (Brooke Carter) to provide wood for her people so that they may survive the harsh winter they endure together. Before she is thrown into the chasm, Elodie is also seen twice making maze puzzles. It provides assurance that, when she is stuck in the chasm and finds a map made by previously trapped princesses, she will be able to find her way out.
While Elodie begins as just another damsel in distress, she grows to become a warrior princess worthy of life and respect. Queen Isabelle, the Queen of Aurea (Robin Wright), despises Elodie for being strong enough to thwart the dragon and put the kingdom at risk. Robin Wright once played a damsel in distress as Buttercup in the classic film “The Princess Bride.” Wright also transforms from being a damsel to a warrior queen – an evil one at that.
The film “Damsel” is a must watch for all fantasy and fairy tale lovers. While it is a twist on the normal “knights-saving-the-damsel-in distress-from-the-dragon” fairy tale, it still keeps and twists many other fairy tale tropes that all fairy tale readers will enjoy immensely, including a kind stepmother (Angela Bassett). The movie is an incredible film for women and girls to watch and an even better ending than one could have hoped for.
Watch “Damsel” now on Netflix to see if Elodie will be able to escape the dragon and defeat the royals that wanted her dead.
