No One Will Save You (2023)

A home invasion horror with a sci-fi twist, No One Will Save You is a film I have been looking forward to since I first found out about it. Okay, there wasn’t a long wait, considering I first found out about it last week, but I was still waiting enthusiastically until I could fit it into my viewing schedule.

Written and directed by Brian Duffield (who made his feature directorial debut with the very enjoyable Spontaneous, a film so good that I always forget it was his first time in the big chair), this is a largely effective blend of elements we have seen before, given a fresh burst of energy by being placed in the middle of an alien invasion movie.

Yes, I said the words “alien invasion movie”. That is what this is, whether it is the main battle between a young woman (Brynn, played by Kaitlyn Dever) and the beings trying to take her from her home or the flying saucers positioned over a small town that looks set to be overwhelmed by life from other planets. As the title suggests, things don’t look good for anyone onscreen.

Taking as much influence from the imagery and history of sci-if movies as he does from the modern horror landscape, Duffield does a fantastic job here of weaving genuine chills and thrills with a sly undercurrent of fun. The lead character is constantly in peril, and there’s some backstory to be revealed to explain why she has apparently been ostracized by her home town, but her pain and loneliness allow for the possibility of a wider range of non-traditional “happy” endings.

The excellent production design and special effects throughout (particularly in the design of the aliens) allow Duffield to deliver a number of superb set-pieces, although it must be said that nothing quite tops that first close encounter. The script is structured well, although it should be noted that there is little to no spoken dialogue throughout the entire film, and it’s fun to watch someone make the most of a fairly audacious central idea in a way that is so confident and creative.

While there are a few other actors onscreen here and there, this is largely a one-woman show. Thankfully, Dever is more than up to the task of carrying the film on her shoulders. Whether she is being terrified by night-time visitors, being determined to fight back, or being resigned to what she thinks is a no-win situation, Dever is easy to root for, even while holding on to a secret regret that is used as a crucial point in the third act.

Let’s end with the ending. That third act is where No One Will Save You will lose some people. It’s a coin toss as to whether you will like it or not. I did, but I can see why some might end up absolutely hating it. It’s certainly a bold choice, but it feels like the right one when you null everything over after the end credits have rolled.

Maybe not quite as good as it could have been (personally, having one other person alongside Dever could have allowed for some dialogue and added even more opportunities for tense encounters), No One Will Save You is a treat nonetheless. Duffield is currently two for two, and I look forward to whatever he does next.

7/10

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