Written by: Ryan Dailey
Last Night in Soho is a fantastic homage to the Giallo films and Hitchcock films of long ago. The tale is one of Elouise (Thomasin McKenzie) who leaves her small town to attend school to pursue her dreams of being a fashion designer. The good news comes with a catch, however, in that Ellie is haunted by the visage of her mother who also moved to London in pursuit of fashion, only to die by her own hand.
Shunned by her peers upon her arrival for being coy and different, she leaves the dorms to live in a vintage flat owned by Ms. Collins, played by Diana Rigg in her final on-screen role.
Soon after Ellie begins to feel comfortable in her new dwellings, The dreams begin. The young Eloise begins to dream of a swinging, attractive blonde in the 1960’s. Ellie not only dreams of Sandy (Anya Taylor Joy) but also is her at times. Aside from the writing, these dream sequences are where the film really shines. The Shaun of the Dead director takes you on a fever dream, the seamless transitions, inventive camera angles and blending of dream Ellie and Sandy as two different people and yet the same person is stunning and flawless.
Where the flashbacks shine in this film, it is also home to one of the only drawbacks to the film. Sandy is introduced to Jack (Matt Smith) who presents himself as a sharp-dressed “agent” to the girls in the club. It is revealed that Jack is actually a pimp, preying on all of the young girls looking to make it big. This makes him the villain of the piece, yet his character is never really fleshed out during the movies’ runtime.
The soundtrack is the equivalent to a Guardians of the Galaxy in the fact that not only does the music fit in the movie, but it helps move the story forward in its own way. Every stitch of clothing and every haircut, even, is on point for each time period represented. The attention to detail has been catered to with great love and attention.
The film as a whole, is stylish and slick, with an engaging story. It is modern and somehow timeless, watching it in high resolution brings out the beauty in everything Wright put to film, yet if there were a grainy 35MM filter over it, one would believe it is a lost Argento movie.
Last Night in Soho is available on DVD, Blu-Ray, and most streaming services too rent or own.