At the height of everything moving to streaming back in 2020 due to COVID, there was one person who was flying under the radar but building up quite an impressive resume: writer/director Brian Duffield. Along with writing unexpected gems like Underwater and Love and Monsters, Duffield made his directorial debut with the very acclaimed but drastically under-seen, Spontaneous. Now, he returns with No One Will Save You, a tense horror thriller that brings new terror to the alien invasion genre.
The film follows Brynn (Kaitlyn Dever), a young girl who lives by herself in a remote house just outside a small town. While Brynn has yearned to be more social since her mother’s passing, her past transgressions with others in the town make her an outcast. However, Brynn’s life is suddenly interrupted by the arrival of an alien with unknown motives and unexpected power. Soon after, Brynn realizes that something bigger is unfolding and that she needs to take action to stay alive.
Duffield’s storytelling is top-notch, as he shows some real prowess in getting hooks into viewers without giving too much away. There are little hints of the aliens’ presence in the area and what Brynn is going through personally that catch your attention, but never deliver too many details. It’s just enough to chew on without knowing what’s fully happening and it allows Duffield to deliver some unexpected surprises as the film goes on. The patience he shows with letting viewers in on things is really great and makes for a more consistently engaging story. Plus, it’s even more impressive that he does it through more visual cues than dialogue, since Brynn doesn’t say much throughout the film.
The use of minimal dialogue in No On Will Save You is very unexpected, but a beneficial choice. It’s something that’s fitting for Brynn’s social struggles and the needed silence when she’s trying to survive against the aliens. More importantly, it helps establish a more unique approach to storytelling that makes the arcs and direction more compelling. When Brynn is forced to face past events that haunt her, the impact of those moments hit harder because the pain and anxiety she expresses is through emotive reactions rather than dialogue. Duffield immerses viewers into Brynn’s perspective this way and it works in making viewers more emotionally connected to her character.
Admittedly, the lack of dialogue does make certain elements of Brynn’s story more confusing — especially with the more artistic approach to the film’s ending. No One Will Save You’s ending will undoubtedly be hit or miss for some, since it kind of goes in a bizarre direction and can’t lean on dialogue to fill in the gaps. There is something kind of funny and fascinating about the sudden genre shift that occurs in its execution that some will enjoy. But it could be a total turn off for others because it comes out of nowhere and doesn’t have the necessary clarity to keep it from leaving a weird taste in your mouth. The film’s ending could be disappointing for some viewers, but it’s not enough to totally tank the great experience Duffield’s vision and Dever’s performance provide.
Dever has already shown herself to be one of the strongest young talents working currently, with films like Booksmart, Short Term 12, and Rosaline. With No One Will Save You, though, she shows a stronger side of her acting ability, and it makes Brynn’s personal arc and the film as a whole vastly more compelling. She’s able to be incredibly emotive as Brynn in both moments where she’s fighting for her life and dealing with unresolved elements of her past. Her range of emotion is fantastic here and this is one of those performances that brings her to a new class of acting—especially since she does it with little dialogue.
Where the film becomes an instant crowd-pleaser, though, is through the tense scares Duffield provides and the nostalgic but new approach he has for a classic alien invasion story. The film’s aliens aren’t anything that audiences haven’t seen before: they’re those thin, gray-skinned aliens with bulging black eyes. However, audiences haven’t really seen this design in quite some time, so it comes off very nostalgic and refreshing. Plus, the way Duffield utilizes their unique powers and distinct variations within the species is superb. It’s almost like how video game designers design different enemy variants to add variety and it works in creating dynamic action throughout the film. It especially helps that the film is given the proper budget to have stunning visuals and stunts that make the aliens’ vast power and technology as imposing as it should be.
The aliens’ power is what drives the suspense and horror early on, and it stays consistently thrilling until the very end. Brynn’s first encounter with the aliens sets the perfect tone for the rest of the film to follow: tense, high stakes, and unnerving chills. Duffield excels at stringing suspense out, then using great sound design and the simple domestic environment to deliver strong jolts that keep audiences on their toes. The horror vibes of No One Will Save You are strong from the start, and it works in creating a chill-inducing situation that brings the alien invasion sub-genre back to its horrifying roots.
Then, when the second act kicks in and the aliens are ready to go on the offensive against Brynn, the film turns into a never-ending chase/fight sequence that never ceases to be thrilling and captivating to experience. There’s rarely a moment where Brynn feels safe, and Duffield does a great job pulling the rug out from under viewers. And even though it’s amazing to be in this thrill ride that never lets off the gas, there’s nothing more satisfying and compelling than to see her hold her own and become a capable survivor. It’s where the film blends elements of the alien invasion and home invasion sub-genre and it’s what makes it easy to immerse yourself in Brynn’s survival. Not to mention, the way Brynn’s personal narrative is weaved throughout her fight for her life is excellent and Duffield’s ability to find a balance between the thrills and the story show him to be incredibly confident in his craft.
It’s honestly a shame that No One Will Save You is getting thrown on Hulu rather than getting a traditional theater release, since it boasts all the elements movie lovers rush to the theaters for. Duffield continues to elevate his status as a filmmaker to new heights and delivers a nail-biting thrill ride you can’t take your eyes off of while showing Dever’s undeniable talent in the process. At this point, Duffield only becomes more impressive with each film he works on, and his work here shows that he’s a name everyone should know.
