Alienated Nation

No One Will Save You (Brian Duffield, 2023)

Science-fiction has become a ubiquitous film genre ever since nerd culture became the norm thanks to the shite sitcom The Big Bang Theory (2007 - 2019). It's usually the genre of choice for many tent pole blockbusters. As a result, more slower paced and cerebral offerings tend to never make it on the radar whenever some VFX heavy spectacle is doing the promotional rounds during the same time. Brian Duffield's No One Will Save You (2023) is sadly one of those films, as it's condemned to streaming Hell via Hulu (Disney+ in the UK). This is a huge shame as the film is superb.

No One Will Save You centres around a social pariah called Brynn. Without spoiling it, the reason for her being ostracised from her local community becomes revealed later on in the film. Brynn often writes to her childhood friend Maude, but there's no real human contact in her world - other than a postman trashing her parcels doing his deliveries (probably works for Evri). She has no one to talk to. Enter what might be perceived as the film's major gimmick - there is virtually no dialogue (five words in total). This might be drawing from the same well as A Quiet Place (2018) to some audiences.

Our outcast protagonist experiences creepy goings on one night and begins to think it's not hungry raccoons rummaging about in her bins, but encounters of the third kind once one of them terrorises her in her home. They're the grey aliens we all recognise from various media. They also possess telekinetic powers, which makes dealing with them very difficult. For much of the film, it's a cat and mouse type situation until it becomes apparent that this plays out on a far larger scale for our planet.

What we have here is a film that reveals informations via action. Show! Don't tell! That's the methodology for the film. As a result, the lack of dialogue comes as a complete antithesis to all the expository drivel with many of today's films. Additionally, Kaitlyn Dever's performance as Brynn is fantastic; her ability to convey so much in a restrictive physical performance is what elevates the film above the generic sci-fi extravaganzas pumped out by major studios.

Fans of Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone (1959 - 1964) might draw parrallels to The Invaders episode from the first season. A mute hermit woman in a cabin having to face off aliens? Identical premise. A more contemporary comparison would be M. Night Shamalamadingdong's Signs (2002) meets Mike Flanagan's Hush (2016) as the film does verge into horror territory, too. Of course, No One Will Save You eventually diverts on a different path to the aforementioned titles once it progresses further.

Without spoiling it, the biggest controversies are perhaps the film's curveball ending and the lack of dialogue. It's what makes No One Will Save You such a Marmite film; you'll either love it, or hate it! Doubt these detractors would have enjoyed The Invaders episode either. Personally, I consider this a great little film, despite some minor flaws here and there. My personal gripe being some of the visual effects look a bit ropey at times, but in no way do they ruin the suspense and tension in the film. Also, the ending did not rub me the wrong way like it did for others.

In summary, I totally get why Hulu released inferior films like Hellraiser (2022) and Prey (2022) in the past, but No One Will Save You is a legitimate rollercoaster ride. It would have been perfect in the cinema rather than rot as a streamable film. Hopefully, this will get a physical release as it's one of the few films from this year that warrants a blu-ray purchase from me.

No One Will Save You (Bedroom scene)

Brian Duffield, 2023