Last Night In Soho And The Horror of University
By Yasmine Kandil
The thrill of growing up and moving to a brand-new city is something many are guilty of fantasising about at some point in their adolescent years. When the time comes, some can complete this transition seamlessly, settling into their next chapter with ease. Others, however, face an intolerable period of adjustment.
After many pandemic related delays and a tour of some of the world’s most prestigious film festivals,, Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho has finally hit the local multiplex. Wright use’s every stylish flourish in his arsenal to tell the story of Elosie (Thomasin Mackenzie), an aspiring fashion designer who moves from rural Cornwall to London to become a student. Unfortunately for Ellie, not all is what it seems. Amid the supernatural scares and classic giallo tributes are fragments of a poignant coming-of-age story. And some of the most unnerving moments of the film are rooted firmly in reality, tackling how horrifying it can be to start a new life in an unwelcoming environment.
A criticism has been floating around following the film’s release concerns the rate at which Elosie is outcast by her new flat mates, claiming that the plot employs a stereotypical mean girl trope that is unrealistic for a contemporary university environment. Perhaps it is different over the pond, those who are suggesting it is illogical, that Elosie would not face those levels of hostility, have not set foot on a British university campus. By no means are the majority of women in this environment like this, but let’s just say that I have encountered more than one Jocasta in my lifetime.
To me, Elosie’s struggle with her move and particularly her flat mates is so on the nose that it felt as if it was drawn from my own memories. My first attempt at moving to university saw me shift my entire life over four thousand miles away from my family at just seventeen years old. Now,several years later, I can still remember the wave of nausea that consumed me the moment my mum left my halls. Suddenly, it dawned on me that I was all alone in a big city which I had only visited for a singular day a few years prior. It is the loneliest feeling I have ever experienced.
I attempted to reassure myself that once I had met some flatmates and settled in, the constant anxiety would ease. Unfortunately, much like Elosie, I stuck out like a sore thumb. Not only was I the only one in my flat of twelve girls who had not attended boarding school, but I was also the only woman of color. I was quickly ridiculed, told that I had made up my history of living in different countries for attention, abandoned in the middle of the city after my first night out and later ignored entirely. I felt defeated by the constant judgment and knew I wanted to leave within the first few days of my arrival but repressed my urge to quit. It is hard to put this rock bottom feeling into words. I watched on, terrified as I completely lost sight of who I was and what I loved. Being out of control and unable to remove myself from the antagonistic environment surrounding me was wholeheartedly horrifying, not just for myself but also my loved ones back home.
Elosie’s comparable experience with bullying is a vehicle which drives her to move out of her halls and into her bedsit room where she starts having visions of Sandie (Anya Taylor Joy). She becomes obsessed with her room and its ability to become a gateway to the swinging sixties, a haven from bleak reality. I resorted to spending nearly every hour of the day in my room isolated in an attempt to shield myself from further distress, but the isolation only resulted in self-loathing. A room that once represented the excitement of transitioning to adulthood felt like a solitary prison cell. This is very much what Elosie’s room evolves into as well, the nostalgia she uses as escapism begins to devour her entirely. She tries to escape but the terror simply follows everywhere she goes.
When you are young and have a whole life ahead of you it is hard not to plan and get excited about the way you see your future timeline unfolding, and the heartbreak of your life not coming to fruition in the way you had anticipated is distressing, to say the least. As the film nears its end and Elosie is at her lowest, she stands in a classic London phone booth, calling her Gran in hysterics as she begs to come home and apologizes for disappointing her. This is perhaps the most emotive scene in the entire film. It perfectly captures that feeling of failure and fear of disappointing those closest to you, one of the true horrors of adult life. Life does not have to consist of visions of ghosts or gruesome murders to be frightening.. No one ever prepares you for the potential trauma that comes with embarking on your university journey..
Although Elosie sticks it out and manages to find herself in London, her arc resonated on a deeper level than anticipated, as someone who did drop out of university as a result of similar initial experiences. My second attempt at university funnily enough brought me to the same art school that Edgar Wright himself attended. This experience has not been without its hardships and its immature people, but it has been infinitely better, and nothing beats the feeling of finally finding a place that you belong.
Yasmine Kandil is a writer and filmmaker based in Bournemouth who loves everything pop culture. She is a staff writer at DiscussingFilm and is in her final year of Film Production at Arts University Bournemouth.
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