Direction: Edgar Wright
Country: UK
British writer-director Edgar Wright, known for his penchant for genre hybridity, delivers a ghostly, psychological horror film with the indomitable energy, fast pacing and dark tones that characterized some of his memorable comedies (Shaun of the Dead; The World’s End).
You might choose to go with his beat here, which, by the way, is from the 60s in terms of soundtrack and looks - but the plot is purposely convoluted with occasionally forced twists and false hints that only serve to mystify the audiences. Last Night in Soho, his seventh fictional film, has an auspicious start but is later turned into repetition, just to definitely trip and get lost in the unfathomable, obscure last third, where the narrative is sacrificed for hasty sensationalist tactics.
The story follows the young Eloise Turner (Thomasin McKenzie), who leaves the English countryside to go to London and pursue her dream of becoming a fashion designer. Eloise possesses a sixth sense, often seeing her late mother, who died when she was seven. In London, she first stays in the school’s dorm but falls victim to the derisive commentaries and late parties of her roommate. Wishing peace and quiet, she rents a room for herself in an old house owned by Ms. Collins (the late Diana Rigg). That’s when she starts having vivid dreams with Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy), an aspiring singer in the 60s, as well as creepy visions of that time. Figures from the past and present get often blurred in her head.
This flawed horror-movie pastiche with references to the zombie and giallo canons is no novelty but can still provide some fun for those in the right mood.
