Last Night in Soho (2021), produced by Edgar Wright, is elegant cinema in the form of a psychological mystery cum horror movie which involves time travelling. The film tells the story of Eloise (portrayed by Thomasin McKenzie), a shy wannabe fashion designer who settles in London but finds herself inexplicably drawn to 1960s London in her dreams. She is taken over by the life of actress Sandie, an up-and-coming singer she dubs herself in the fantasy. Rich at first by the glamour of the 60’s, Eloise is now stuck with none other than her idol abusing her and watching her downfall. As whatever illusions there might have been, however, the violence, sexuality and other horrors which Eloise so feared as a child, began merging into reality for her.
Last Night in Soho managed to grab me because of its amazing style and its blend of nostalgic and terrifying images of London in the 1960s. It’s hardly worth mentioning that the 60esequencesthrough the vibrantuseofcolors, burg cutting and sound as well are beautiful to watch but so is the subsequent yanking horror. As Eloise reveals the mysterious death of Sandie, the writer slowly builds tension as dread reveals itself and he plays with glamour covering dark undertones. The turn towards the end, when everything is revealed regarding the violence and sandie’s story, completely overwhelmed me in a good way as I kept thinking about the earlier actions within the film.
Last Night in Soho is one surprising fact that was and still is one of Wright’s projects going as far as his obsession with London and 60s culture. The movie also contains quite a wonderful collection of old tunes, which helps to enhance the place’s ambience throughout the picture. Even if Last Night in Soho was released in the middle of the covid pandemic and earned approximately 23 million dollars, it did receive positive reviews for its rare concoction of styles, and aggressive direction. For me, the attraction of the picture was in its examination of pressure of nostalgia, trauma and perhaps the most disturbing, the facelessness of fame. The film felt refreshingly original able to capture its audience with its rich elements of psychological horror sprinkled with a little of thriller, topped off with the enduring style of Wright, proved to be the most enthralling flight of fancy.