‘Last Night In Soho’ takeaway: Where toxic relationships meet suppressed emotions

Last Night In Soho is arguably one of the most original films of the year. However, it dives deeper than just the surface of the 1960s glamor and macabre. It has the underlying subtext of dependent and toxic relationships and the suppression of trauma.

For those unfamiliar with the film, it centers around an aspiring fashion designer named Ellie who feels like an outcast during her tenure in college. It was only until she rented a solitary room that she was transported to Soho in the 1960s. However, the era is not as glamorous as she believed it to be.

Here’s a breakdown of the main takeaways of Last Night In Soho.

(Warning: Spoilers Ahead)

Last Night In Soho analyzed

Fitting in can be hard for the gifted

Ellie in 'Last Night in Soho' (Image via Focus Features)

Throughout the course of the film, Ellie has been seen as the outcast or misfit of her college/dorm. It’s only after she moves to another room, which happens to be 1960s themed, that she feels more at home.

She is then thrown into the 1960s and starts to feel a sense of belonging that she has not felt in her contemporary lifestyle. This, temporarily, fills a hole of discontent that she has been harboring with her.

Toxic relationships don’t last and only lead to pain and suffering

Anya Taylor-Joy in 'Last Night In Soho' (Image via Focus Features)

During her time in 1960s Soho, Ellie follows a girl named Alexandra who attempts to audition for a nightclub to be their headliner. Soon afterwards, she meets up with Jack, the manager, and the two hit it off. Things take a turn for the worse when Alexandra is performing backup for a s*xually-themed dancer and Jack later p*mps her out.

What makes this painful to watch is the fact that Alexandra’s toxic relationship with Jack has left her sick, depressed and reduced to an object. Many toxic relationships may stem from one of the parties having a sense of power or importance between the two. Unfortunately, the deeper one gets into a toxic relationship, the worse off they end up.

Suppressed emotions make you sicker

In a shocking twist, the elderly woman who rented out the spare room to Ellie turned out to be Alexandra. Out of rage of having to sleep with all of those men when she was being p*mped out, she killed many of them.

It seems that the movie uses the rented room to represent Alexandra’s emotional state. She suppressed all the emotions and trauma that she harbored and collected it in that room, until it all collapsed.