LAST NIGHT IN SOHO (2021)

 

I picked up a DVD copy of this film from my local Barnes & Noble not long ago after hearing some intriguing things about it. There is so much to like about this film, especially the incredible art direction and cinematography. It has a unique, imaginative story and a likable lead character. This character, Ellie, is played by Thomasin McKenzie, a talented young actress who was so wonderful a few years ago in LEAVE NO TRACE. Ellie is a young woman from Cornwall who goes to London to study fashion design. She is obsessed with the culture of the 1960's, especially the music. Ellie arrives in London hoping it will be like the so-called Swinging 60's era but is soon disappointed when the reality turns out to be quite different. Ellie is also caught up in memories of her mother, who went to London to study fashion design as well but ended up disillusioned and taking her own life. At times, Ellie sees visions of her mother. This psychic gift soon leads her into a mystery involving another young woman, Sandy, whose life during the 60's parallels her mother's life. 

Thomasin McKenzie having a REALLY bad night in Soho!

I wasn't sure where this movie was going, but I loved the beginning, as Ellie finds herself to be the ultimate fish out of water in contemporary London. And as one who was a teenager in the 60's, I loved her fixation with the music from that era. The unfolding of the mystery concerning Sandy (Anya Taylor-Joy), is well-constructed and involving. But eventually, blood begins to spurt out from all sides of the screen, and away we go. By the time we reach the harrowing climax, we find ourselves viewing a completely different movie, which could be retitled: THE SOHO ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE. (Spoiler alert.) The director, Edgar Wright, found it necessary to bombard our senses with his special effects tricks in order to show us as much ugliness and physical cruelty as his budget would allow. Sorry for the cynical reaction. I don't handle violence well, especially when it isn't necessary for the telling of a story. What could have been a fascinating psychological mystery played out with brilliant imagery and characterizations degenerated into just another slasher flick. I'm not familiar with any of this director's other work, so I don't know if gushing geysers of blood are normal features of his style. Whatever the case, this is not a film I would enjoy seeing again, in spite of its many positive attributes.

All of the actors give good performances. Miss Taylor-Joy, so good in THE WITCH (2015), is quite effective here as well. Matt Smith is appropriately hateful as the villain. And Michael Ajao is gentle and moving as Ellie's best friend. One of the most interesting things about the film is the appearance of three iconic faces from the British cinema of the 1960's: Rita Tushingham, Terence Stamp, and Diana Rigg. Tushingham's role is rather small, but Stamp and Rigg are very important to the story. Edgar Wright has directed several other popular films, including SHAUN OF THE DEAD (2004), ANT MAN (2015), and BABY DRIVER (2017).