Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

Last Night in Soho
2021

Director: Edgar Wright
Cast: Thomasin McKenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith, Rita Tushingham, Michael Ajao, Terence Stamp, Diana Rigg, Synnøve Karlsen, Pauline McLynn

Ellie, who is frequently visited by her mother's ghost, moves to London to study fashion, but the big city is not a welcoming place. One night, she is mysteriously transported to the Swinging Sixties into the life of aspiring singer Sandy. Midnight in Paris meets The Sixth Sense in Edgar Wright's ambitious psychological horror movie, which is a ghost story, a murder mystery, a coming-of-age tale, a wish fulfilment fantasy, a depiction of sexism in the 1960s, and a portrayal of potential mental breakdown. It goes without saying that the resulting movie is all over the place and, once Ellie begins to experience her visions, one of the most infuriating and tedious watches I can remember. Thomasin McKenzie is annoyingly timid and aloof as Ellie (does that make it a good or a bad performance?) and Anya Taylor-Joy has very little to do as Sandy. On the plus side, the interaction between the two leading ladies is beautifully visualised and the soundtrack is filled with some nice tunes.