Film Review: NO ONE WILL SAVE YOU (2023): Kaitlyn Dever Encounters Some Mysterious Beings in a Stellar Science Fiction Drama

No One Will Save You Review

No One Will Save You (2023) Film Review, a movie written and directed by Brian Duffield and starring Kaitlyn Dever, Elizabeth Kaluev, Zack Duhame, Lauren L. Murray, Geraldine Singer, Dane Rhodes, Evangeline Rose, Dari Lynn Griffin, Emani White, Nathalie J. Alarcon, Ginger Cressman, Rose Bianca Grue and Devyn Sandidge.

No One Will Save You is filmmaker Brian Duffield’s new science fiction thriller which offers audiences a fusion of elements found in famous movies such as A Quiet Place and Aliens, only with more realistic looking aliens. Kaitlyn Dever stars in the movie in what is certainly her most compelling screen work to date. That’s because she doesn’t have to speak during the course of the film so she’s left to act with bodily movements and facial expressions. Dever’s performance is something of a work of art that will be hard to shake from your mind by the time the end credits of the movie roll.

The film opens with simplicity but there is so much depth to the events that are occurring throughout the picture. Dever plays a young woman named Brynn whose mother (Lauren L. Murray) seems to have passed away. Brynn makes a visit out to the grave of her mom in a scene that feels sorrowful for the character Dever is playing. Pictures are revealed that Brynn had a friend named Maude (played at different ages by Evangeline Rose and Dari Lynn Griffin). Brynn has accustomed herself to live on her own in a nice home with a rotary phone which suggests this picture’s setting is many years back.

Brynn goes into town briefly where she sees people but they don’t seem to act too friendly towards her. When Brynn is visited by a seemingly ominous alien one evening at her house, she is forced to try to do everything in her power to try to survive. Let’s face it– she’s not sure if this alien is friendly and neither is the audience. She removes her slippers in the hopes the alien doesn’t hear the floor creaking when she walks. A fine, suspenseful scene has Brynn hiding under her bed as a tall alien with funky feet steps on top of the bed she is fearfully underneath.

As Brynn makes the choice to defend herself, she smashes the alien’s head and it appears that the alien has died. Brynn is also suffering from what could be some sort of traumatic past and these aspects of the film soon come into light as the plot develops even more. Expect the character of Maude to have a key role in the events that happen much later in the picture.

There is not a clear, concise narrative for the duration of the entire movie. Instead, Brian Duffield chooses to unveil layers of this story one piece at a time until it becomes clear that Brynn has reasons that she has lived the lonely life she has accepted which is full of solitude and possibly regret.

That said, the movie doesn’t spare scenes of wild intensity. As cabinets surrounding Brynn open up and the refrigerator doors do as well, it appears these aliens can achieve some sort of power with their minds. Are they trying to control Brynn’s mind, abduct her or, is there, perhaps, something more sinister going on underneath the surface? Duffield answers these questions and when the resolutions arrive, they can figuratively smash the audience over the head with disturbing clarity about some things but still leave some questions unanswered.

Dever excels in this juicy role for the rising star. She creates a multi-faceted character who is defending herself from other worldly beings but, without giving too much away, it also seems like she may be her own worst enemy as well. By having virtually no dialogue, the physical movements she displays in the film alongside the eye contact she demonstrates make the performance something of a stunning accomplishment for the actress. She carries the movie with help from a very small but efficient cast. Dever has a demanding role and is more than capable of achieving greatness in many of her scenes here.

Though the aliens sometimes feel more metaphorical than anything else, the dramatic center of the picture is sublimely captured by capable direction coupled with the phenomenal work of Dever. This is a science fiction film which will stir up conversations afterwards which is such a tremendous feat given that there are virtually no real conversations in the picture. No One Will Save You is a piece of film-making that is disturbing and powerful while being incredibly intriguing to watch all the way through. At the film’s end when Dever’s character seems to have potentially freed herself from her inner demons, there is plenty for audiences to analyze and that helps make the movie a thought-provoking winner not to miss.

Rating: 8/10

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