Anya Taylor-Joy's trippy time-travel horror film will haunt you in your dreams

Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Last Night in Soho

Anya Taylor-Joy is still very busy and is currently playing alongside Chris Hemsworth In George Miller's action-packed prequel Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. You probably know the actress from her Emmy-nominated portrayal of chess genius Beth Harmon in the Netflix hit series The Queen's GambitShe also showed her enormous range in projects such as the scary satire The menuthe crime series Peaky Blindersand myself The Super Mario Bros. Movie as the voice of Princess Peach.

However, horror fans will probably remember Taylor-Joy from her film debut in Robert Eggers' disturbing film from 2015, The witchAs the daughter of a Puritan family whose life is slowly turned upside down by a demonic presence, Taylor-Joy delivers a performance that is beyond reproach. The witchHowever, There was another horror film that is often overlooked when we talk about Taylor-Joy's acting skillswith a brilliant performance that could pretty much serve as their entire demo reel: Edgar Wright'S Last night in Soho.

What is “Last Night in Soho” by Edgar Wright about?

With Thomas McKenzie, Last night in Soho follows a young 21st century woman with supernatural gifts and a connection to the 1960s. McKenzie's Ellie, recently accepted into the London College of Fashion, leaves her grandmother in Cornwall and moves to the big city she's always dreamed of. However, things aren't quite as pleasant as she expected. Between the lecherous men and her tyrannical roommate, she soon feels smothered. In an attempt to regain at least some control over her life, She leaves her dorm and moves into the house of a woman named Ms. Collins (Diana Rigg).

This is where Ellie's dreams (and later her nightmares) begin. Through a mysterious supernatural connection with a former resident of her room, Ellie gains access to the life of another young woman named Sandie. An aspiring singer, Sandie (Taylor-Joy) moves to London in the 1960s, where her dreams are completely destroyed by a cheating pimp named Jack (Matt Smith). At first, however, everything looks glamorous and promising. Sandie wears pretty dresses, dances with handsome men, and hangs out in nice bars. Jack acts like a gentleman, and everyone is completely impressed by Sandie's singing and dancing skills. When Ellie sees herself through the eyes of this other woman, she can't help but fall in love. Already feeling out of place in her new home, she lets herself be transported to a different time every night as she goes to sleep.

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But soon that thin facade falls away and reality catches up with her. When she witnesses Sandie being forced into prostitution and her dreams of becoming a singer being dashed, Ellie suffocates again. She doesn't know what to do to help this woman she never really got to know. But… she did. In an unexpected plot twist It turns out that Sandie is actually Mrs. Collins and that for years she had murdered the faceless men who had abused her and buried them in the walls and floor of her house. When she turns against Ellie, who has just revealed her secret, Mrs. Collins ends up in a fire. Although there is a brief moment of understanding between the two women, the narrative still punishes her with a horrific death.

Edgar Wright’s “Last Night in Soho” misses its message

Given this conclusion, it is not difficult to understand why many people believe Last night in SohoThe message of is more than a little messed up. Sure, London must have felt like the center of the universe in the '60s, but it was also a place marked by sexism, trauma, and broken dreams. However, in trying to create a feminist horror story about two women whose lives are riddled with nostalgia and abuse, the end result is a little grim. Mrs Collins' big revelation is abrupt and Ellie's moment of empathy with her is too brief so that we accept Mrs. Collins as righteous. At the same time, we have seen enough of her trauma to not see her as evil through and through. The first two-thirds of the film are strong, but the ending feels contrived.

But these flaws, however great, should not detract from the film's many good qualities. The horror scenes work well, the pacing of the action is unsettling, and the film as a whole is beautiful to look at. And then there's the soundtrack, which is often a tour de force in Edgar Wright's films. And finally, and perhaps most importantly, there are the acting performances. From the lead actress Thomasin McKenzie to Synnove Karlsen, who plays Ellie's annoying and mean roommate Jocasta, all in Last night in Soho is in top form. With a mousy voice and a reserved attitude, McKenzie sells naivety and nervousness like no other, and Matt Smith is more than just despicable as Jack. Even Michael Ajaowho plays Ellie's crush and only friend John, is simply adorable and easy to love.

Anya Taylor-Joy takes Edgar Wright’s “Last Night in Soho” to a new level

From all Last night in Sohoperformances, Anya Taylor-Joys is definitely the one who demands the most attention. Over the course of the film's nearly two hours, her Sandie evolves from a dreamy naive posing as a femme fatale to a cynical, traumatized woman and finally a cold-blooded murderer. In Ellie's visions of the past, we see her confidently strutting through bars, raging against her terrible fate, fighting back and then giving up. We see her joy and her pain. We even see her die, when one drunken night Ellie has visions of herself being stabbed by Jack. Taylor-Joy is great in all of these moments. Oh, and let's not forget her beautiful singing!

Admittedly, when it comes to presenting Sandie as a fully-fledged character, we cannot give Taylor-Joy alone the credit. The late Diana Rigg also deserves a lot of applause for her older version of the character. As much as it is to turn Sandie’s character into a crazy woman, a choiceRigg is crucial to making her a compelling villain. But for most of the film, it's actually Taylor-Joy who helps us build Sandie from the ground up, infusing her with charm and desperation, making us – and Ellie – adore her, to fear her, and later to dread her her.

Last night in Soho is available on Prime Video in the US

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