Jacked In Reviews ‘Last Night in Soho’ (2021)

Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho is a psychological thriller that sees a young student who is able to travel back in time to 1960s London, how’s that for a slice of fried gold?!

From the opening dance/musical number, Edgar Wright is written all over this picture. The story follows aspiring fashion designer Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie), a timid, young, countryside girl obsessed with the 1960s and has just been accepted into a London school of fashion. As well as the big transition happening in Eloise’s life, she also has visions of her deceased mother, emphasizing her detachment from reality.

When Eloise first drops down in London and receives inappropriately forward comments from her taxi driver, you’re immediately made aware this isn’t one of Wright’s usual comedic features (although there are still some humorous elements here and there).

After getting settled (probably not the best description) into her new student halls, it isn’t long before Eloise seeks an alternative accommodation that better fits her character. Not only does she find a room in a boarding house that has her ideal vintage aesthetic, but it appears her new room also allows Eloise to travel back to the 1960s each night. From there we begin to see the past through an individual’s eyes who goes by the name of Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy). Sandie is an aspiring singer with a fashion sense that encompasses everything there is to love about the decade in which she is situated.

Wright does this era of British history serious justice, there is nothing out of place. Everything from the looks to the music, the cigarettes and the drinks make you feel like you’ve travelled back in time alongside Eloise. And there’s even a surprise appearance from a young Cilla Black!

After her first trip into the past, Eloise’s (and the audience’s) mood is immediately elevated back to that hopeful mindset we saw in the movie’s opening. And with a couple more nighttime journeys, Eloise is inspired by this confident female figure she is somehow connected to.

However, after her third “visit” into Sandie’s world, it seems things have taken a turn for the worst. She is no longer an aspiring singer, but instead, an object to gratify seedy men. As if being shaken awake, the story goes from a fun fantasy to something resembling more of a horror picture, as we see through the window of London’s dark past.

Great use of visual storytelling, not to mention the score and music, allows you to be in tune (no pun intended) with Eloise throughout. Initially, you’re excited for her to hit the hay, but as the movie progresses, you want her to stay as far away from the bedroom as possible. Not only that, but some of the more brutal aspects of the film – which are accompanied by some pretty intense cinematography – are elongated to such a degree that you find yourself gripping your armrest in complete agreement with Eloise, as she screams for it all to stop.

It isn’t long before these haunting “visions” break out of the bedroom and into Eloise’s entire world, scaring her (and us) both during the night and the day (something which isn’t an easy feat in the world of horror). After fearing the worst may have happened to Sandie, Eloise begins to investigate a murder that may have happened sixty years prior. And with that, the movie adds another genre to its belt, as it evolves into a murder mystery.

Overall, Wright’s (and Krysty Wilson-Cairns’) love letter to the sixties that is Last Night in Soho, is a gorgeous movie, perfectly cast and filled with everything he does so well. The highs and lows are contrasted wonderfully in this film which, not only bursts with variety, but also puts themes together that wouldn’t usually go side by side, but it certainly works!

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