Content Warning: discussion of sexual violence

Last Night In Soho is a dark, twisted love letter to London in the sixties. The film begins in the present day as country bumpkin Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie), moves to London in order to attend London College of Fashion. She finds herself renting a bedsit that used to be inhabited by Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy). Over time, Eloise both watches and inhabits the character of Sandie. She travels back to the sixties, following Sandy’s attempt to make a name for herself as a singer.

Anya Taylor-Joy is brilliant in this role. Her character is overflowing with confidence and star quality. Initially, the film appears to celebrate the vibrancy of sixties Soho. The throwback sixties tunes, combined with the colourful sets and the outfits, makes for an enticing image. However, just when both Eloise and Sandie seem to be thriving, the film takes a turn for the worse.

As Sandie’s life begins to unravel, so does Eloise’s. Haunted by images of Sandie as a victim of sexual violence, Eloise begins to lose her grip on reality. As her mental health deteriorates, the imagery of the film descends into violence and chaos. Arguably, the director, Edgar Wright, takes things too far. I could not help but feel that the constant back-and-forth between Eloise and Sandie detracted from the plot. Instead of feeling sympathetic, I felt slightly overwhelmed. Wright clearly put his heart into the sixties plotline, but in comparison, the story of Eloise felt incongruous. The love interest introduced for her felt particularly unnecessary. 

Even during the sixties scenes, I felt slightly disappointed. Edgar Wright has attempted to appeal to too many audiences. Is this a coming of age tale? A thriller? A horror? Usually, I would be impressed by a film’s ability to defy categorisation. However, here the genres seemed to clash. My overall impression was that the film was messy.

There was, however, an unexpected twist towards the end of the film. Wright impressed me with the nuance of his characters, playing expertly with my sympathies. I am tired of watching scenes of sexual violence and seeing women portrayed as nothing more than victims. Where is their complexity? Their characterisation? Wright does not fall into this trap. It was incredibly refreshing to watch the women in this film make mistakes, fall prey to the actions of men, and develop strong, complex opinions. This is a film that very much rejects the helpless damsel in distress stereotype. For that, I sincerely applaud the film.

It came so close to making a profound point about the exploitation of women, and the anger that follows this. However, just like in Baby Driver, the film reverts to an overblown action movie. There were some genuinely terrifying moments, and I may even have screamed out loud at one point (always embarrassing when you’re in the cinema), but unfortunately, those moments undermined the more serious elements of the plot, ultimately reducing the impact of the storyline. 

Verdict:

In short, Last Night In Soho is an enjoyable watch. I would certainly recommend it if you are after a fun, twisted thriller. However if, like me, you’re expecting something truly great, I am afraid you will be disappointed.

Rating: 7/10

Last Night in Soho is out now in cinemas

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