Last Night in Soho (2021) Review

"If I could live any place and any place, I'd live here, in London in the 60s,"

WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS

Edgar Wright's Last Night in Soho creates an intense atmosphere through the use of ghosts with a mix of the idealised version of 1960s London. The story follows Eloise "Ellie" Turner as she moves to London on her path to become a fashion designer, following the footsteps of her late mother, but falls into a series of realistic dreams that show the life of an aspiring singer who goes by the name of Sandy. Ellie's psychic connection with her environment is demonstrated through the reappearance of her mother in the mirror, and her nan's worries of her ability to see spirits. As her dreams take her into the life of Sandy, who she begins to idolise to the point of changing her identify, she realises that life 1960s London is not the life she had thought, especially for a young girl with big dreams.

Ellie watches as Sandy's life begins to spiral, as she is exploited by older men by a man who she thought loved her. Sandy's treatment shows the misogyny of the 1960s, and pulls Ellie out of her romanticised idea of vintage life that she created through music and stories. We see as these dreams begin to enter her everyday life, affecting her time as a student and the development of her relationship with John. Her dreams change the narrative of Sandy's story, and Ellie believes Sandy is murdered by her manipulator, Jack. This leads her to go to the police with a 60 year old case, where the haunting of her mother's mental health prevents her from being able to get their help. It is revealed, at the end, that Sandy didn't die but is in fact her landlord, and eventually meets her end in the room where she first lost herself - the room where Ellie was living, and the room where she took the lives of the men who took advantage of her desperation to reach her dream.

Thomasin McKenzie conveys Ellie's emotions in every scene with perfection. She shows the helplessness at her inability to help Sandy, and the distress she experiences as the current world views as her as someone who is having trouble adapt to a new life in London. Her amazing acting is matched by Anya Taylor-Joy's role as Sandy, who is able to play a troubled young girl stuck in a position of powerlessness with effortless excellence. Their contrast in emotions is perfectly shown as they switch bodies throughout the dream, while Sandy accepts her fate due to her lack of ability to challenge these older men, and Ellie is tormented by being unable to physically help her.

Not only do these two actresses allow the person watching to be dragged into these emotions and situations experienced by the characters, but the costumes really captivate them and help them feel as though this is a 1960s movie. It is expected, of course, for fashion to be a huge part of this movie due to Ellie being a student aspiring to be a fashion designer but it is used in such a unique and subtle way that draws your attention without your realisation. Odile Dicks-Mireaux manages to show the influence of 1960s fashion on Ellie's work through her own outfits and the outfits that inspire her first show at the end of the movie, based on the clothes she sees Sandy wear throughout her dreams.

The ending to this movie is both melancholic and bittersweet, as we see the trauma of these older men from Sandy's past beg for Ellie's help, while Ellie continues to side with Sandy who was objectified and used by men when she had no other choice. Sandy's inevitable death is sweet, where we see her finally accept peace, yet painful due to her literal death occurring in the same room where so many men lead to the death of her innocence and hope.

Last Night in Soho is the perfect representation of the true female experience during the 60s, through both modern horror and the 1960s aesthetic. It demonstrates the real struggles of the fashion and musical industry, while creating characters who pull you into the movie, as if you are really there with them - in the same way Ellie is pulled into her 'dream life' through the past of Sandy.