NO ONE WILL SAVE YOU: Unique Invasion Story That Should Have Been a Short Film

An alienated young woman finds herself in an extraterrestrial battle, all alone. Starring Kaitlyn Dever, No One Will Save You presents a classic sci-fi invasion story while offering its own unique elements. But it overstays its welcome in some aspects that feel repetitive and void of any tension it attempts to build.

On the surface, Brynn (Dever) leads a wholesome life in her quaint farmhouse, designing dresses and building a tiny model of the town. But it becomes apparent her isolation is anything but her choice, as it’s clear the community despises her for some reason.

Late one evening, Brynn wakes up to find someone has broken into her house — quickly discovering it’s something not of earth. With no one to turn to, she will have to fight for survival as an impending invasion becomes a terrifying reality.

Written and directed by Brian Duffield (Underwater, The Babysitter), No One Will Save You has some traditional elements of old-school alien flicks, which are very apparent in the creature design and rural setting. I’d even compare it a bit to Signs. But it sets itself apart by having no dialog throughout its 93-minute runtime. 

There are only a handful of words uttered by Dever in the third act, otherwise, not a single word is spoken. And to the film’s credit, it carries the story well regardless, thanks to Duffield’s vision, as he’s able to develop the film’s narrative within subtleties and nuance, outside of the action scenarios. 

It’s also just an interesting choice since it’s for creative purposes rather than a byproduct of the invasion — this isn’t a Buffy the Vampire Slayer “Hush” situation.

But it’s Dever’s impressive performance that really carries the film and our understanding of its central character. She commands your attention simply by nonverbal expressions and body language — which is certainly no easy feat.

While gimmicks can tend to wear out their welcome, the no-dialog aspect never does. Instead, the film’s issues lie in the fact that it doesn’t do enough unique things within the time. A good majority is simply Dever’s character running around aimlessly, always winding back in the same spot.

There’s some great tension built in the first act as the film establishes the invasion, but it doesn’t present enough new ideas throughout to maintain that tension. Or interest.

Luckily, it delivers a satisfying ending. But overall, I think if it was a tightly wound episode of an anthology series (under an hour) or simply a short film, the story would have served its purpose better and avoided feeling tedious for a good portion.

No One Will Save You is streaming on Hulu