"LAST NIGHT IN SOHO" EXPLORES LOST DREAMS THANKS TO (OR IN SPITE OF) MENTAL ILLNESS.

Plot Summary:
In acclaimed director Edgar Wright’s psychological thriller, Eloise, an aspiring fashion designer, is mysteriously able to enter the 1960s where she encounters a dazzling wannabe singer, Sandie. But the glamour is not all it appears to be and the dreams of the past start to crack and splinter into something far darker.

"Last Night in Soho" follows two girls at different times as they pursue their big-city dreams. Eloise is a gifted design student from current times, but her head is stuck in the past. Her style, taste in music, and inspiration are considered old fashion. So much so that she becomes an object of ridicule for her fellow design students. They instantly count on her to fail. It's a pity because she has the talent, knowledge, and drive to become a great designer. What she needs is some originality. She needs to pull her head out of that 60s-inspired cloud.

That's what this movie is about. Eloise learns a lesson that makes her a better designer. More than that, she learns to be a better person. Real-life lessons are longer-lasting than any school teaching. This lesson comes from Alexandra "Sandie" Collins, her strange, secluded landlady. A look into the old woman's past is a road littered with broken dreams, disappointment, and sexual trauma. The memories of the rented room take Eloise back to her idealized time, the 1960s.

Like Eloise, Sandie has a glamorous dream. She wants to be a famous singer. Unlike Eloise, however, she is impatient and unwilling to work her way up. Any reasonable person could tell her that's not how the real world works. One does not simply walk into an elite club and talk her way into a headline position, but she tries anyway. Her desperation puts her in the path of Jack the "manager" who promises her the glamorous life she seeks, but he never delivers. Before she can process his methods, he sells her into prostitution. This so-called manager nothing more than a pimp. The promise he sells her is a rotten lie.

Yet, Sandie never walks away, even as her conditions get worse. Perhaps, the money is too good, or she holds onto the fantasy that her terrible conditions will lead to something better. Perhaps, she keeps telling herself that it's "much better than being a coat checker". I know the feeling. It's a vicious cycle of Distorted Thinking from which it's damn near impossible to break free. At least, not without the right support. Sandie is alone in the big city. She is completely without a support system. Her own living is the only way to keep a roof over her head. Whatever the reason, she stays until the night a fight for her life turns bloody. She completely snaps, trading one dream for another. Consumed with madness, she finds her fulfillment in all the wrong ways. In the end, she becomes a bitter old hermit hiding from the world and all her sins.

It is the one thing that Eloise fears most. With a family history of mental illness, there are a lot of people expecting her to fail when she moves away from home for school. Being alone in the big city is frightening, especially for a young, sheltered girl with no city experience. She encounters many people who count on her to fail. It would be all too easy for her to succumb to the madness and become Sandie. The easiest solution would be to drop out and move back home. Alexandra sold out on her dream. Could she do the same?

There's one thing that Alexandra doesn't count on with her little protégé. Eloise has support: family and friends. They check up on her. They care about her. They would never let her suffer alone. In a strange way, Eloise also has Sandie. Throughout the visions, it becomes clear that the mirror may not be one-sided. Somehow, Sandie can also see Eloise, and she allows her life to become a display. It's her way of warning Eloise away from the path of broken dreams.

Eloise must stay in school, work hard, and make her dreams come true. In real life, there are no shortcuts. No worthwhile opportunity is simply given away. Sandie tries that avenue, and it doesn't work out. The least she can do is keep others off it. There is still time to save Eloise and her dreams. Therein lies Alexandra's redemption and Eloise's salvation.

What seems like a curse or a sign of mental illness becomes a blessing for Eloise. She holds onto her agency and follows through on her dream no matter how much hard work or how frightening that Agency Avenue can be. It makes her a better designer as well. She lets go of the 60s and becomes her best self with a unique sense of style. Only then does she develop as an original designer, instead of stealing from Sandie.