A ‘Damsel’ Without Distress: Millie Bobby Brown Plays a Kickass Princess in Netflix’s Dark Fairy Tale
Sometimes a maiden has to rescue herself.
That’s the premise behind Damsel, which stars Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things, Enola Holmes) as a Elodie, a woman who finds out the fairy tale ending she was expecting is of the Grimm variety when her Prince Charming sacrifices her to an angry dragon.
The film’s official synopsis reads, “A dutiful damsel agrees to marry a handsome prince, only to find the royal family has recruited her as a sacrifice to repay an ancient debt. Thrown into a cave with a fire-breathing dragon, she must rely on her wits and will to survive.”
Though the film’s tagline reads “this is not a fairy tale,” the trailer gives us all the trappings of one: a handsome prince, beautiful gowns, a wedding in front of the entire court, and of course, a dragon. But the trailer also hints at a long line of warrior women, all of whom have fought against the same fire-breathing foe. Their success/fail rate is unknown, but it seems evident that if Elodie survives, she’ll be in a league of her own.
Damsel also stars Angela Bassett as Elodie’s stepmother Lady Bayford, Robin Wright as the duplicitous Queen Isabelle, Ray Winstone as the King, Nick Robinson as the less-than-charming Prince Henry, and Brooke Carter as Henry’s sister Floria.
Damsel was directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (28 Weeks Later) from a screenplay by Dan Mazeau (Fast X). The movie premieres on Netflix on March 8th.