Last Night In Soho Plot Synopsis
Last Night in Soho is the latest film from Shaun Of The Dead director Edgar Wright but you shouldn’t expect the comical shenanigans that were present in some of his earlier titles. This is a dark and mysterious film that plays with our expectations of what is real and what isn’t and if you haven’t seen it yet, you really should. You can check out our review here. The film tells the story of Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie), an aspiring fashion designer who moves from Cornwall to London to begin a fashion course. Unfortunately, her life goes from bad to worse after she arrives in the city. Not only does she struggle to make friends with any of the girls at her college but she also travels back in time to the 1960s where she meets wannabe singer Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joe), a young woman whose life is in danger.
How does Eloise travel back in time to the 1960s?
After having a horrible time in her halls of residence, Eloise decides to move out and get her own place. She finds a bedsit owned by Ms Collins (the wonderful Diana Rigg) and after promising that she won’t bring any men back to the property, the strict but kindly landlady agrees to let her move in. It’s not long before Eloise is transported back in time to 60s London. How? Well, the fact that she meets Matt Smith at a nightclub of that era is only a coincidence so don’t expect a Doctor Who-style time travel device here! The real cause is her bedsit which is a portal into the past and the reasons why it is a gateway into the 60s become clear later on in the film.
So Matt Smith doesn’t play another Time Lord then?
Erm… no! He’s a sleazy nightclub owner called Jack and Eloise meets him after she is transported back in time. At first, Eloise becomes a background character, usually seen in the reflection of a mirror, who starts to become fixated on a young woman called Sandie. She mostly experiences Sandie’s life from a distance but there are times in the movie when her consciousness starts to blend with hers and she literally lives out the nightclub singer’s life and experiences with Jack. Jack offers to make Sandie a star but when Eloise makes a return journey into the past, she discovers Jack has lied to her. Rather than turning her into a star, Jack has turned Sandie into a sex worker instead.
Does Eloise enjoy her travels back in time?
Eloise enjoys travelling back in time at first and she uses Sandie as the inspiration for her fashion designs. But when she discovers Sandie’s predicament, her journey back to the swinging 60s becomes far less enjoyable. Eloise later realisess that Sandie is living in the same bedsit as she is, only several decades apart, but before she can take note of the decor Sandie has chosen, something terrible happens to Sandie.
What happens to Sandie?
It’s not entirely clear but from Eloise’s perspective, it would appear that Sandie has been murdered. As to who the killer is, Eloise isn’t exactly sure but she thinks it must be Jack who has butchered her. Luckily, Eloise believes Jack is still alive. In the present day, she has spotted a suspicious-looking gentleman (Terrence Stamp) at a nearby bar and she thinks he is the now aged Jack. Eloise goes to the police with her suspicions but unconvinced by her time travel story, they assume she is losing the plot! Eloise confronts the man in an effort to make him confess. He refuses to answer her questions and as he leaves the pub, he is struck by a car and killed.
Did Jack get away with the murder?
Not really. For one thing, Eloise made an error of judgement. Despite looking a little dodgy, the man she thought was Jack turned out to be somebody else entirely. He was, in fact, a retired undercover policeman who earlier in the film tried to warn Sandie about the nightclub manager. So, where is the real Jack? And more importantly, was he the person who brutally butchered Sandie? This is where things get a little bit complicated.
Who murdered Sandie?
Eloise returns to the bedsit to collect her things and to tell Ms Collins that she is leaving London. After all, could you blame her? Not only has she had to put up with the bullying of her fellow students but she has had to witness a decades-old murder too! She has also had visions of lecherous old men while trying to get to sleep in her room. Thankfully, she has made one friend, John, who agrees to wait for Eloise outside the bedsit. But when she talks to her landlady, Eloise gets a couple of surprises. Firstly, Ms Collins informs Eloise that Sandie isn’t really dead. Eloise then discovers that Ms Collins has poisoned her tea!
Where is Sandie?
It turns out that Ms Collins is Sandie and she poisoned Eloise’s tea because she didn’t like the girl snooping around in the past. Ms Collins tells Eloise that she killed Jack and every other man that tried to force themselves onto her in the room. While this isn’t directly stated, it can be presumed that these men sent Eloise back in time to find the clues to their murders.
Does Eloise survive?
Realising Eloise is taking a long time in the bedsit, John comes in to find out what has happened to her. But before he saves the day, Ms Collins stabs him. A poorly placed cigarette then causes the house to go up in flames so it looks like he and Eloise are doomed! However, despite the tea being poisoned, Eloise manages to make it out of the house alive but not before the ghosts of the past ask her to kill the murderous landlady. Eloise refuses but while she doesn’t kill Ms Collins herself, the woman formally known as Sandie decides to stay behind and perish in the flames. Eloise and John are then rescued by the emergency services and thankfully, they both survive!
Does Sandie leave London?
Most of us would have taken the first train back to Cornwall but despite suffering multiple traumas, Sandie decides to stay. As the movie closes, it fasts forward in time and we see Eloise showing off her 60s-inspired designs at a London fashion show Before the film ends, we see Eloise look into a mirror. Instead of seeing her own reflection, she sees Sandie who blows her a kiss. Is this another ghost? A vision? A prelude for Ms Collins bursting through the mirror for yet another shock twist? Or is it just a sign that Eloise is still fixated on Sandie? We don’t know as this is one mystery that might never get solved. Read More: Last Night In Soho Movie Review Thanks for reading our Ending Explained article! What did you think of the ending? Have we missed anything? Did you predict the ending? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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