- deepdivemovie
SOMKE AND MIRROR OF LAST NIGHT IN SOHO (2021)
I'm actually disappointed with this movie. As a Halloween movie, there’s no serious visual impact. At the peaking point of Anya's career, this movie occupies a good schedule, it is understandable that the audience rate on Rotten Tomatoes is as high as 92%.
The director still did a great job, maintaining a high level of film editing and score, it looked good, sounded good. But other than that, I think it's a failed attempt of a male director making a female-themed film. It is slightly inferior compared with last year's "Promising Young Woman" and this year's "The Last Duel". Its key problem is the director has an amazing story idea but doesn’t dig deeper and figure out the psychological core/spiritual of the whole story. It seems that the reversal in the second half of the story is just deliberate and cliché, the character setting and behavioural motivation have collapsed across the board. It was supposed to be the climax of the story, sandy's self-salvation and destruction, doesn’t get the audience to where they suppose to be.
First of all, I want to talk about the merits of the film. In addition to the rhythm, editing and soundtrack just mentioned, the casting was just on point. Although there are a lot of faults in the character setting, the choice of Thomasin and Anya is dead on. After putting on the same makeup, they indeed look very similar, so the shooting of reflection in the mirror has a smooth transition. Anya's appearance reveal a sense of exquisite decadence. The Barbie-like facial features and the clothes of the 1960s are just like the innocent, confident, and eager to become famous girl in "GIA". Thomasin It is more like her opposite, although she has the simplicity and innocent of coming out of a small village, but it is not naive. And Jack's casting is very on point also. Matt's appearance is malleable. Such a charming man in Doctor Who, changing his expression has the temperament of a wretched and scumbag.
Lighting and set departments are also excellent. The bedroom being everyone's most private space, symbolizes their deepest desires and fears. Those unbearable past events and hidden secrets are all displayed in the bedroom, just as the bedroom in "The Furnished Room" , it exudes the atmosphere of past residents everywhere. The setting of the room is very important. Mirror is a widely used element in this film. It is the barrier between the two worlds and the inner world of the two heroines. Refraction, when sandy is lingering with jack, what is reflected in the mirror is actually Eloise's yearning for this luxurious life and ecstasy. She is intoxicated. After witnessing her roommate messing with a man, even if she does not want to admit it, but She was still affected by the corruption of this "big city”, until the moment when the dream was broken (Eloise witnessed sandy being "murdered") The mirror in the room was also smashed by the male protagonist, and the blood-stained fragments finally broke Eloise's confusion about this kind life's last shreds of fantasy.
The neon lights outside the heroine's room have a total of three colour in the outer world, red-blue-white, and when entering the inner world, as sandy’s relationship gradually gets out of control, and the lights change from red-blue to the end. The light at this time symbolizes Sandy's desire to stand under the light and become a singer. In the dream, the lights on Sandy's face are constantly changing. The heroine has never understand exactly what kind of person she is. She is always the centre of the mystery and the object of the heroine's dreams.
Music, as the most important connection between Eloise and Sandy, carries the memories of the two people. Sandy's proud singing voice makes her like a duck to water in Vanity Fair, while cigarettes are a way of talking and consoling after being forced to sink. She never wanted to be what she became, She was too young to know what she wanted, so in the end the fire caused by cigarettes and records devoured her and completed her final redemption in the sinful attic.
This film took place in the most suitable school in London, the LCF (London college of fashion), the fearless people who want to be famous on the star-studded runway built in the same place. Right in the centre of Soho. The focus of fame and fortune, seems to be within reach, success and failure are two sides of the same coin. London, a big city that swallows the dreams and beliefs of countless people.
However, the location of the school did not achieve the expected effect, or the director did not intend to use it as a clue to outline the change in the heroine's mentality. LCF is simply the place where the story takes place, not a symbol of the heroine's inner desire. One of the factors that makes this movie feel flawed is that the drama is too tame, and the bullying is only on the surface, not even having a great impact on the heroine's mentality, just as a necessity to promote the story elements exist. Eloise and Sandy have so little in common that even though Eloise was initially seduced by London (and her 60s life), dyed her hair and bought clothes, her soul was bought for a split second, but within a few days she was horrified. The relationship between the two of them has no more external and spiritual connection except the intersection in the dream. Eloise is just a bystander of the tragedy, even though she feels the same as sandy in the dream, but her real life is not the same. Even Eloise has loved ones and a boyfriend who cares about her, so it's not worth getting them both to truly empathize. The heroine's fear turned into pity and sympathy for Sandy, so it seemed that Eloise's final redemption for Sandy was hollow, and finally reduced to an ordinary slasher film.
Speaking of which, the image of 'girl helping each other'. The expression is a bit too straightforward. The delicate feelings between are not handled well enough.
Furthermore, the character setting is flat. As the most important foreshadowing in the first half - the white-haired cop, I thought he would have a more important plot after the truth was revealed in the later stage, but his appearance was only to render the unknown horror atmosphere. and tick the corner of the truth. But as the only good person who tried to save sandy in the first half, his story and role were marginalized, and his exit was casual, as if he closed his eyes after explaining his last words, he could receive a box lunch, which is really a pity. However, it can also be explained from the side that in such an era, well-meaning people are few and it is difficult for them to protect themselves. Even if they want to save a girl like Sandy, they are powerless.
The female lead's roommate Jocasta and the male lead, all of their actions are to directly or indirectly promote the progress of the story. Such characters have no soul, they can easily be replaced by anyone.
What confuses me the most is the ghosts in the bedroom. They appeared as the ghosts under the sword of sandy. They acted as jump scared in the first half, and the truth was revealed in the second half, and their identities changed from the perpetrators. Victims, ah of course the "victims" here are not justifying their crimes, on the contrary I think the director was trying convey that they deserved what they deserved. The director used a fire to end this nightmare past sixty years ago. It seems that he is trying to save the grievances and mourning the tragedy, but I feel that he can't think of how to end it other than that. When the heroine finally escaped, one hand stretched out from the floor and grabbed her body. It was indeed visually shocking, but when the heroine was pulled onto the bed, they suddenly became nice and wanted to help the heroine make a phone call to escape. The inconsistency is too obvious.
And most importantly, the clothing! I know that many people will definitely refute me, but the pink dress that Anya appeared on is really not suitable for her. She has a good figure, but the skirt reveals her inadequate. From the side, she looks pregnant.
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