A film that breaks away from traditional filmmaking conventions usually go one of two ways. Either it’s one of the most refreshing and unique cinematic experiences of recent times, or it’s total rubbish and a complete waste of time. One recent example of this was 2019’s A Quiet Place where director John Krasinski broke away from traditional filmmaking techniques by using hardly any dialogue, and frequently plunging the audience into total silence. Utilising the similar format of an alien invasion, Brian Duffield’s newest film, No One Will Save You, is a terrifying home invasion film unlike anything else you’ve ever seen.
Brynn (Kaitlyn Dever) lives an isolated life following the death of her mother, and a traumatic childhood incident that has left her crippled with anxiety and guilt. But when Brynn’s house is invaded by aliens, she must do whatever she can to survive, confronting her past to ensure her future.
Brynn (Kaitlyn Dever) lives an isolated life following the death of her mother, and a traumatic childhood incident that has left her crippled with anxiety and guilt. But when Brynn’s house is invaded by aliens, she must do whatever she can to survive, confronting her past to ensure her future.
I hadn’t heard about No One Will Save You until just a few days before it dropped on Disney+, and I caught the trailer on Facebook and was just immediately gripped by it. It felt a little like Cloverfield, a touch of Signs, and a hefty dose of A Quiet Place. High hopes is an understatement but I don’t think I was prepared for No One Will Save You to be one of my favourite films of the year so far.
It had me gripping the sofa for a lot of the runtime, and it genuinely made me kind of anxious. I think a lot of this came from the really well explored themes of anxiety, grief, and isolation. I think this is even more impressive when you consider that the film has next to no dialogue. Just five words are spoken across the entire film, and it comes at such a powerful moment that it’s completely emotionally overwhelming. This is the definition of saying so much without saying anything at all, environmental storytelling and physical performances are so important in this film, and it’s just so well done that you hardly even notice that nobody is saying anything.
Kaitlyn Dever is going down as one of the best actresses of the year in my book for this film. She’s nothing short of phenomenal. I gave her best supporting actress in 2019 for her role as Amy in Booksmart, and there I stated that she was going to be one to watch because she had so much talent; and here it is. There are a handful of supporting characters, a neighbour of hers, the local police chief and his wife, but none of them get more than a minute or two screentime. The focus is squarely on her, and it’s her job to carry this entire film, with no dialogue, and she makes it look easy.
I would say it’s about five to ten minutes too long, it could have been a little tighter. It’s not a particularly big issue, but I did find myself starting to drift around the eighty-minute mark. But on the whole, it’s really well put together.
I loved the way the film looked, Aaron Morton’s extensive use of Dutch angles, shadows, and the claustrophobic set design makes for a great looking film. The sound design was awesome too, the way the house felt alive through sound, and the nightmare inducing groans that the aliens made sent shivers down my spine.
If you like sci-fi or horror, then I recommend checking out No One Will Save You. You don’t particularly have to be a fan of both genres to enjoy it, and I also think people who are into lower budget more experimental films will get a kick out of a ninety-minute film with no dialogue and only one proper character. Along with Skinamarink this is one of my favourite horror films in recent years and I’m glad to see stuff like this getting a bit more mainstream.
It had me gripping the sofa for a lot of the runtime, and it genuinely made me kind of anxious. I think a lot of this came from the really well explored themes of anxiety, grief, and isolation. I think this is even more impressive when you consider that the film has next to no dialogue. Just five words are spoken across the entire film, and it comes at such a powerful moment that it’s completely emotionally overwhelming. This is the definition of saying so much without saying anything at all, environmental storytelling and physical performances are so important in this film, and it’s just so well done that you hardly even notice that nobody is saying anything.
Kaitlyn Dever is going down as one of the best actresses of the year in my book for this film. She’s nothing short of phenomenal. I gave her best supporting actress in 2019 for her role as Amy in Booksmart, and there I stated that she was going to be one to watch because she had so much talent; and here it is. There are a handful of supporting characters, a neighbour of hers, the local police chief and his wife, but none of them get more than a minute or two screentime. The focus is squarely on her, and it’s her job to carry this entire film, with no dialogue, and she makes it look easy.
I would say it’s about five to ten minutes too long, it could have been a little tighter. It’s not a particularly big issue, but I did find myself starting to drift around the eighty-minute mark. But on the whole, it’s really well put together.
I loved the way the film looked, Aaron Morton’s extensive use of Dutch angles, shadows, and the claustrophobic set design makes for a great looking film. The sound design was awesome too, the way the house felt alive through sound, and the nightmare inducing groans that the aliens made sent shivers down my spine.
If you like sci-fi or horror, then I recommend checking out No One Will Save You. You don’t particularly have to be a fan of both genres to enjoy it, and I also think people who are into lower budget more experimental films will get a kick out of a ninety-minute film with no dialogue and only one proper character. Along with Skinamarink this is one of my favourite horror films in recent years and I’m glad to see stuff like this getting a bit more mainstream.