‘Last Night in Soho’ is a spellbinding thriller that traverses the swinging ‘60s and modern-day with enchanting visuals and an entrancing soundtrack.
Realizing one’s dreams often requires you to embrace significant changes. Many of life’s milestones are also accompanied by major change, which can take people from their comfort zones and sometimes feel like the wrong choice. Riding it out can be very rewarding, but also very difficult. There are certainly factors that can sway the experience in one direction or the other, but the most unusual circumstances can be the most influential. In Last Night in Soho, a young woman uproots her life to follow her greatest aspirations only to discover it may not be all that it’s cracked up to be.
Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie) has been nurturing her fashion talent in her small town under the tutelage of her matriarchs. Now, accepted into a prestigious design school, she’s packed up and moving to London. She doesn’t exactly fit in with her chic classmates and their fast-paced lifestyles, but she’s also savvy enough to recognize their differences and make the necessary adjustments. A new apartment is just what the doctor prescribed — until it transports her into a fever dream of glamour and betrayal that washes over her waking hours. The captivating starlet that features in these visions, Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy), is everything Eloise is not… for better or worse.
Was Sandie real? And if she was, does anyone care what happened to her? These are questions with which Eloise becomes obsessed. Every night’s sleep is an exhilarating trip to the fabulous ‘60s. Viewing life through Sandie’s eyes, Eloise is swept up by her beauty and vivacity. Sandie exudes a confidence the young wallflower wishes she possessed and, in turn, absorbs with every jaunt through this mystery woman’s life. Sandie wants to be a singer and Jack (Matt Smith) promises to get her a stage and an audience. Of course, this arrangement — past and present — is sure to sour and no one is likely to be satisfied with how it all plays out.
The film’s visual and audio aesthetics are key to conveying audiences to this bygone world. The streets and clubs are wonderfully reconstructed to resemble era-specific locales, from big marquees to smoke-filled dance floors. Even more alluring is the fashion in both times. Eloise and her friends’ style sense is expectedly unique and attractive, though the former becomes increasingly influenced by her nightly travels. Sandie and her contemporaries always dazzle with their stunning dresses and accessories, while Jack looks slick in his dapper suits. The lighting and color scheme of scenes are also very important in establishing their tone.
All of this is complemented by the exceptional soundtrack curated by co-writer/director Edgar Wright, which includes The Yardbirds, Dusty Springfield, The Animals, The Kinks, The Searchers, Petula Clark and Cilla Black. The music is its own character, literally moving the actors through their scenes and inspiring the mood, from the whimsical opening to the striking entrance down an elegant staircase. Moreover, Taylor-Joy’s rendition of “Downtown” will stop listeners in their tracks with its haunting tune and memorable performance.
The film is a time travel, ghost story, thriller all rolled into one poignant narrative that grips audiences from beginning to end. At times it feels like a song swaying viewers or a poem weaving through its vibrant verses. Other times it feels like a horror tale as Eloise is tormented by visions of Sandie and other souls encountered on her period travels. As the young woman loses her grip on reality, everything becomes more desperate and fast-paced until she discovers the answers to the past are right in front of her.
Director: Edgar Wright
Starring: Thomasin McKenzie; Anya Taylor-Joy and Matt Smith
