Directed by Brian Duffield — Screenplay by Brian Duffield.
It is possible to sometimes find true hidden gems in the vast library of streaming services. Frankly, sometimes studios opt to dump strong films onto streaming services, even though the film in question possesses a clear and obvious theatrical release potential. This is one of those occasions. Brian Duffield’s NO ONE WILL SAVE YOU is the kind of horror science-fiction film that knows exactly what it is and how it can carve out its own place among the many inspirations that will probably be clear for most people to see. It’s exactly the kind of film that I would go crazy for in theaters, but which we have been provided with from the comfort of our own homes. Subscribers of Hulu (or Disney+ depending on your location) have been given a special little science-fiction invasion film about alienation and a specific alien home invasion.
In NO ONE WILL SAVE YOU, we follow Brynn (played by Kaitlyn Dever), a young woman, who lives by herself in a house filled with artifacts to remind her of her mother and her best friend, the latter of whom Brynn feels responsible for the loss of. This past event, which the film reveals slowly over the course of its 90-ish minute runtime, seems to have turned the entire nearby town against her, and therefore she lives a withdrawn life by herself in her lonely home — which is thus essentially her entire world. That is until, one day, she is the victim of a home invasion. But it isn’t just any home invasion. Brynn’s entire world is invaded by an actual alien.
The idea of designing a home invasion film around an alien invasion is really clever. One thing that I really liked about Duffield’s film is that he doesn’t actually keep us in the dark about what external force she is up against. Instead, the information that he keeps at arm’s length for some time mostly relates to the specifics behind her trauma and guilt — i.e. the internal forces that she is contending with daily. Duffield’s film, though perhaps a little bit too dark here and there (meaning that sometimes elements felt obscured, to me), is never shy about its creatures. It doesn’t take too long before the film clues you in on the fact that her invader is a ‘little grey man’ type of alien, which, as it turns out, comes in different shapes and sizes. One might argue that the grey man type of alien isn’t all that original, but I found it to be refreshing to see a film that embraces that classic creature design and builds upon it as the narrative develops. And, boy, does that narrative develop in satisfying ways. There were multiple moments in the film where something significant would happen that for most films would be the actual climax of the story, but with NO ONE WILL SAVE YOU there was still plenty of time left to go even after these moments, and I loved that about it.
There are some very clear nods to Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and, though it can be compared to many science-fiction and horror films (I kept thinking about Dan Trachtenberg’s 10 Cloverfield Lane), the film also feels closely related to something like A Quiet Place. This is because of how Duffield’s film zooms in on the littlest of sounds as a direct result of the home invasion aspect of the film. These scenes where Kaitlyn Dever’s Brynn has to do things — like stepping out of her slippers — in an attempt to make the littlest sound possible are chock-full of tension that sent me to the edge of my seat. Mouth agape and with bated breath, I’d sit fully in awe of how the tension was ratcheted up, and wait for her next move. The sound work is excellent, the scenes are well-executed and staged, and Duffield’s film is clever about how to expand on its creatures and their technology.
I also think the film does a terrific job with Brynn’s internal forces, as she is gradually confronted with how small her world as an ostracised recluse has become, as well as how moving on means processing, confronting, and accepting yourself. It all leads to a strange and likely divisive denouement that took me by surprise, but which I like the more I think about it. initially, I thought the film might have made more of an impression if it had ended a scene or two earlier, but, in reality, I think this ending not only helps to make it stand out but it also speaks to the general theme of feeling detached from the rest of the world.
The film often relies on Kaitlyn Dever to be sufficiently expressive, and, as expected (because she’s always good), Dever delivers. The rising star turns in a performance that ought to earn her positive comparisons to other sci-fi heroines. And it is by no means an easy task. This is because this is a film that is almost entirely devoid of dialogue. This is a decision that also reminded me very much of A Quiet Place, I might add. But it does ultimately feel a little bit like a gimmick that eventually wears thin here, as certain scenes in town feel unnatural because our heroine refuses to speak up. I also think it would have been more natural and satisfying if she had let out an expletive or a simple exclamation once in a while. But, at the same time, I also admire the film’s insistence on seeing this aspect through for most of the film. Though the denouement may be divisive and the dialogue gimmick may feel unnatural from time to time, Brian Duffield’s NO ONE WILL SAVE YOU is still a great science-fiction horror film and one of the best surprise films of the year so far.
8 out of 10
– Review Written by Jeffrey Rex Bertelsen.
I'm Jeffrey Rex 