It’s the perfect time of year for a good ghost story, where spirits of the dead haunt the living with the traumas of their long-passed lives.
“Last Night in Soho” takes the classic trope of a young woman being tormented by ghosts from the past and gives it a vibrant, stylish twist.
Our story centers on Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie), a quirky, 60s-obsessed country girl who gets accepted to fashion school in the big city of London.
Struggling to fit in, Eloise moves off campus and rents a flat from Ms. Collins (the great Diana Rigg in her final performance before passing away in 2020).
Eloise is gifted with a connection to the great beyond and on her first night in her new flat she finds herself transported back to the 1960s, sharing the experiences of a bold and beautiful young singer, Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy).
At first it’s like a wonderful dream as each night Eloise drinks in the sounds and styles of her favorite era as she lives vicariously through Sandie who is daring and glamorous in ways she could never be.
But things start to take a darker turn as Sandie catches the eye of the charming but dangerous Jack (Matt Smith) and the implications become deadly serious for Sandie in the past and Eloise in the present.
Writer/director Edgar Wright (“Shaun of the Dead,” “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” “Baby Driver”) is known for his visual flair, but this time he outdoes himself as he vividly channels London of the 1960s while playing with mirrors and reflections to illustrate Eloise and Sandie’s link.
Wright also packs the soundtrack with killer British-Invasion-era tunes and makes Soho of both then and now as much of an essential living, breathing character as any of the actors.
“Last Night in Soho” is a topsy-turvy little thriller that proves that the devil, and the delight, is in the details.
“Last Night in Soho” is rated R for bloody violence, sexual content, language, brief drug material and brief graphic nudity.
