Last Night in Soho (2021) Focus/Horror-Thriller RT: 116 minutes Rated R (bloody violence, sexual content, language, brief drug material, brief graphic nudity) Director: Edgar Wright Screenplay: Edgar Wright and Krysty Wilson-Cairns Music: Steven Price Cinematography: Chung-Hoon Chung Release date: October 29, 2021 (US) Cast: Thomasin McKenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith, Terence Stamp, Michael Ajao, Diana Rigg, Rita Tushingham, Amiee Cassettari, Synnove Karlsen, Jessie Mei Li, Kassius Nelson, Rebecca Harrod, Elizabeth Berrington, Margaret Nolan, Michael Jibson, Lisa McGrillis, Sam Claflin (uncredited). Box Office: $23M (US)
Rating: *** ½
This one has cult film written all over it. Last Night in Soho, the latest movie from Edgar Wright, is something of a departure for the twisted mind who conceived Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Instead of spoofing a genre, he takes a stab at making a serious film, a psychological thriller in this case. He succeeds for the most part. In fact, he’s made a damn good flick.
Have you ever felt like you belong in a different time? If so, you can relate to the movie’s protagonist Ellie (McKenzie, Jojo Rabbit), a young girl obsessed with the Swinging 60s, the music and fashions in particular. An aspiring designer, she’s elated when she’s accepted at the London School of Fashion. It’ll be a huge change for the country girl from Cornwall and her grandmother (Tushingham, Smashing Time) worries for her. The girl’s mother had similar dreams, but her fragile mental health led her to suicide instead. She worries that Ellie will suffer the same fate.
Not one to be deterred, Ellie packs her bags (and vintage record collection) and hops a train to London where she soon discovers she doesn’t fit in with her snobbish classmates. Unhappy to the max, she moves out of the dorm and into a flat owned by strict but kind Ms. Collins (Rigg in her final role). She loves her new digs, but there’s a surprise waiting for her that will literally change her world.
When she goes to bed that first night, she’s magically transported back in time to her favorite era (circa 1966). When she looks in a mirror, she observes she’s taken on the form of another young girl. Sandie (Joy, Glass), an attractive blonde, has come to London with big dreams of becoming a singer at the Café de Paris. She meets a guy named James (Smith, Doctor Who) who says he can help her fulfill her dream. He has all sorts of connections and can introduce her to all the right people. It’s like a dream come true for Sandie (and Ellie too).
Back in the present-day real world, Ellie’s life begins to change for the better. She has more confidence. She designs a 60s-era dress her teacher loves. She changes her appearance to resemble Sandie. She gets a job at a pub that used to be one of the hot spots in the Swinging 60s. She looks forward to going to sleep each night so she can spend more time as Sandie. All too quickly, the dream turns into a nightmare. James turns out to be a sleazy, violent creep who pimps Sandie out to his “business associates”.
At this point, Last Night in Soho undergoes a major tonal shift. Suddenly, the 60s aren’t so idyllic. Ellie starts to have terrifying visions of ghostly figures stalking her. Then she has a vision of murder. It seems that Sandie was brutally killed in the very flat Ellie’s living in now. Naturally, it freaks Ellie out. Her mental state begins to deteriorate, but it doesn’t stop her from trying to find out what happened that night in ’66 and bring the guilty party to justice.
Sadly, Last Night in Soho will probably tank because it’s too unconventional for mainstream audiences. That’s another way of saying it’s weird. Good thing I like weird. There were moments when I felt like I was watching a David Lynch movie. The whole identity switch thing put me in mind of Mulholland Drive, but without the lesbian overtones. Of course, that’s just me. I imagine a lot of viewers, especially the younger set, won’t know what to make of what Wright sets out to do with his film. Like I said, it’s NOT mainstream entertainment.
Last Night in Soho has an amazing visual palette. It’s a brilliant combination of production design (Marcus Rowland), costumes (Odile Dicks-Mireaux) and cinematography (Chung-Hoon Chung). One of the best shots in the film is when Ellie first enters the Café de Paris. As she descends a flight of stairs, she passes a wall made of mirrors. The reflection she sees is of Sandie, a confident girl who walks with confidence. The juxtaposition of the two polar opposites is a striking image. This is who Ellie wants to be. She tries to become her. The price, her sanity.
Last Night in Soho is very well cast. McKenzie and Joy are perfect in their roles. McKenzie is convincing as a girl who romanticizes the past maybe a little too much. Joy is similarly terrific as a girl who knows exactly what she wants, but only thinks she knows how to get it. She projects both strength and vulnerability. Smith is equal parts charm and sleaze as the antagonist of this tale. Terence Stamp (The Limey), as an old man with a connection to Sandie, turns in his usual great performance. The late Rigg is very good as well.
The other cool thing about Last Night in Soho is its groovy soundtrack. It has a lot of great 60s classics that fuel Ellie’s wild trip through London as it was. It starts with Ellie’s joyously dancing to Peter and Gordon’s “A World Without Love” in her bedroom. The hit list also includes “I’ve Got My Mind Set on You” (James Ray), “You’re My World” (Cilia Black), “(There’s) Always Something There to Remind Me” (Sandie Shaw) and the title track by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich.
I really dug Last Night in Soho. It’s a strange, sometimes surreal odyssey through a different time as well as a suspenseful murder mystery. Sure, the sudden tonal change is jarring and the violence shocking, but it’s effective. It’s a gripping, original movie that I truly hope finds its audience.
