Last Night in Soho Movie Review: A visual feast and an affecting exploration of deep themes

This psychological horror is a beautifully shot and edited piece of art, with some extraordinary writing and performances

Bhuvanesh Chandar

(Originally published on 12th November 2021)

The past can be rosy… or haunting. In Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho, the protagonist Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie, who might get nods in the top award ceremonies) grows up with a mirage of her dead mother. This ties into the character’s arc in many ways, and it is this film’s self-awareness that makes it a compelling psychological horror film that has so much to unpack.

Eloise, who likes to be called Ellie, bids adieu to her grandmother and her country life, to chase her London dreams of becoming big in fashion designing. Enough films have shown how big cities have responded to people from small towns. Sure enough, Ellie’s classmates bully her, and she leaves her hostel room in Soho to rent a small apartment in the locality. One night there, Ellie gets a vivid dream in which she wakes up in 1960s London in front of a theatre playing Sean Connery’s Thunderball. She follows a young woman named Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy) who strives to become a singer. Our protagonist is shown as an empath with an eye for detail, and Sandie becomes her muse. However, Ellie’s obsession with this alternate reality becomes unhealthy, and we are soon introduced to an old man named Jack (Terrence Stamp) who perhaps may be able to tie up the two timelines. The distinction between these realities gets mind-bending as time goes on.

We begin to get an idea as to who Jack might be, but Wright is persistent in how patiently he chooses to tell the story. The nuanced, slow-burn writing takes its time…..

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE:

https://www.cinemaexpress.com/english/review/2021/nov/12/last-night-in-soho-movie-review-a-visual-feast-and-an-affecting-exploration-of-deep-themes-27801.html