Movies…with a little bit of obscure culture and sports mixed in
The quiet disposition of Brynn and her living area gets a loud and rude awakening when an alien invasion begins. Out of nowhere, extra-terrestrials start descending from the sky and Brynn is on her own defending herself and her home.
“An exiled anxiety-ridden homebody must battle an alien who’s found its way into her home.”
Director: Brian Duffield
Writer: Brian Duffield
Starring: Kaitlyn Dever
Release Date: September 22, 2023
IMDB
Brynn (Kaitlyn Dever) is a lonely young woman living in a small town mourning the recent loss of her mother, and the deep wound of her best friend’s Maude passing. Brynn fills her time doing some sewing and building a model town of her idyllic suburban neighborhood in her living room.
The quiet disposition of Brynn and her living area gets a loud and rude awakening when an alien invasion begins. Out of nowhere, extra-terrestrials start descending from the sky and Brynn is on her own defending herself and her home.
No One Will Save You lays its foundation quickly and effectively shifts gears to a thrilling Home Alone-esq survival story. Brynn is battling a foe she doesn’t understand, and the capability of the aliens are illuminated to her in time with the audience watching. The parallel discovery journey unveils secrets not just about the invading forces. Brynn’s past is slowly peeled away like an old paper mache, revealing the source of her trauma with hefty emotional baggage.
There is a lot happening in No One Will Save You, but it’s all encased in a nice simple mason jar. You can shake up the ingredients and come away with a glorious thick concoction of movie magic.
For those who don’t know, No On Will Save You has only five lines of dialogue. There are no words spoken for the hour and six minutes.
And now is the time we should stand up and give No One Will Save You a round of applause. If you didn’t watch any of the trailers or read up on any of the previews, then you would have no idea that this science fiction thriller has this unique characteristic. The lack of promotion regarding the lack of dialogue makes the viewing experience of No One WIll Save You even more rewarding.
It was an outstanding choice by writer and director Brian Duffield to not give a built-in excuse as to why there is no talking. The movie starts and it turns into a social experiment as to when one notices that Brynn, nor anyone, has said a word. It is the opposite of John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place (2018), which quickly tells the audience as to why there can be no sound. In No One Will Save You, the choice is a thematic one, and not a plot point.
The silence of No One Will Save You is symbolic of the shunning that society has bestowed upon Brynn. The stillness is symbolic of the mummified emotions of Brynn following her violent outburst as a young child. There are only five words spoken in the movie, and those words are of empathy and self-forgiveness.
“I’m sorry, Maude. I’m sorry.”
The silence of Brynn and the movie as a whole can wrap up its symbolic nature with the overarching thought that there are no words that could make up for, or make anyone feel better, about what Brynn did. The aliens don’t speak the language humanity speaks, which means that the silent way Brynn is speaking out, by rebelling, hits them differently. When the aliens probe Brynn’s brain and see her childhood trauma unfold and the subsequent treatment of her, the invading ETs start to feel a very human trait known to few as empathy.
I know, who would have thought a science-fiction thriller with one line of dialogue spoken could be so philosophical?
The burning question surrounding the discussion of No One Will Save You regards the ending. Is it a happy ending? Is it a sad ending? How are we meant to feel about Brynn being allowed to live in a matrix-esq world of conformity?
My interpretation of the ending is fettered in sadness. It is an appropriately depressing ending for the character of Brynn. We meet our survivor when she is an outcast for society as a consequence for the actions she did as a child. She dreams of dancing and falling in love. Brynn has created an entire suburban fantasy land in her home, idealizing what it would be like to be part of Pleasantville.
Brynn gets this at the end, but it is a disturbing thought that she embraces this alien invasion version of paradise rather than living in the real world. Yes, she was shunned by those closest to her, but those dirty looks directed her way were real human emotions and not commands from an extraterrestrial outside force.
Writer and director Brian Duffield expanded on his thoughts about the ending in an interview with Fangoria:
In my overreaching, overthinking mind, I think there is a societal lens through which to view Brynn’s choice. At home she is envisioning the life she dreams and she is cultivating it by building something tangible for her to look at. I think of this and correlate it to members of society building their idyllic image for society on social media. There are perceptions, but then there is reality. The way others interact with you and feel empathy in real life is very different from your own lens of self esteem boosting acceptance.
So, the TLDR is that I think the ending of No One Will Save You is depressing. It is sad, and scary in a way, that Brynn is willing to be accepted in a fake society rather than live in a real one where she has to deal with the consequences of her actions.
Is that enough to intrigue you? It should be. Stephen King came out publicly and endorsed the movie, and if the king of suspense gives the thumbs up, who are we to not give No One Will Save You a shot? Do it. You won’t regret it.
No One Will Save You is streaming on Hulu.
STANKO RATING: B+
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