Last Night in Soho

Anya Taylor-Joy Director: Edgar Wright Edgar Wright

Overview

While striving to make a name for herself in the world of fashion, a young woman named Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie) inexplicably travels through time to experience the splendor and glitz of London in the 1960s. As she explores her newfound world, she crosses paths with Sandy (Anya Taylor-Joy), an aspiring cabaret singer, in a startling way. However, the deeper Eloise plunges into this world, the more she begins to realize that something sinister lurks beneath its veneer. Written and directed by Edgar Wright. Jessie Mei Li and Diana Rigg co-star.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/18/2022
UPC:	0191329136935
Original Release:	2021
Rating:	R
Source:	Universal Studios
Time:	1:56:00
Sales rank:	5,055

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Anya Taylor-Joy	Actor
Thomasin McKenzie	Actor
Matt Smith	Actor
Michael Ajao	Actor
Synnøve Karlsen	Actor
Diana Rigg	Actor
Terence Stamp	Actor
Rita Tushingham	Actor

Technical Credits

Edgar Wright

Krysty Wilson-Cairns

Edgar Wright	Director,Producer,Screenwriter
Tim Bevan	Producer
Eric Fellner	Producer
Nira Park	Producer
Krysty Wilson-Cairns	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

Writer/Director Edgar Wright (Baby Driver) teams up with screenwriter Krysty Wilson-Cairns (1917) to present the surrealistic horror/thriller, Last Night in Soho. The story is solid and interesting, but some issues with the script cause confusion that lessens the experience. Eloise "Ellie" Turner (Thomasin McKenzie), a young, slightly clairvoyant girl from the English countryside who adores the 1960s, has just been accepted to fashion design school in London. When she arrives, she discovers London isn't quite what she hoped, especially dorm and college life. So Ellie sets out on her own, renting a room and living alone to pursue her studies away from the wild ways of her dorm mates. But she soon starts having dreams of being Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy), a budding singer in 1960s London. At first, she revels in these visions and lets them inspire her designs. But like her first experiences in London, these soon become horrific nightmares. Ellie believes there is more to these than fantasy and must solve the mystery to keep her sanity and life. When the writer is also the director, audiences are often treated to a well-rounded film since there is no conflict between script and directorial visions. But once in a while, this creates a problem when the director-as-writer knows things but doesn't thoroughly convey that information. This is the case with Last Night in Soho. There isn't enough exposition about certain things to make the story cohesive, especially Ellie's supernatural abilities. A few simple lines early on would have made the story less muddied without giving too much away. Also, some events trail nowhere, leaving the viewer wondering what the point was. Still, the concept is interesting and is, aside from these issues, well-told and entertaining. McKenzie excels in her performance as the naive Turner. Her progression from country girl to a young Londoner is both believable and fluid. Taylor-Joy's skill as the dream version of Ellie complements McKenzie perfectly. In her final performance, Diana Rigg is terrific as Ms. Collins, the landlady who takes Ellie in. Terence Stamp's mysterious, smarmy barfly channels his prior role as General Zod - albeit a retired version. From a technical standpoint, Last Night in Soho is lush and beautiful, particularly in the dream sequences. The 1960s are recreated - both good and bad - in minute detail. The cinematography captures the transitions from dream to reality smoothly. There is very clever usage of mirrors and mirror imagery throughout. Unfortunately, the camera sweeps too quickly on a couple of occasions, creating a blur at inappropriate times. The film's soundtrack songs, composed primarily of 1960s hits and misses, are carefully selected for the moments they play, keeping the story moving along nicely. Edgar Wright's Last Night in Soho isn't a perfect film. Still, his ability to capture imperfect, relatable people remains as strong here as in any of his other efforts. He again proves that, while his roots are in comedic films, he works equally well in drama. It is likely audiences haven't seen the last of him in either genre.

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