IR Film Review: NO ONE WILL SAVE YOU [20th Century Studios/Hulu]
The revelation of "No One Will Save You" comes in its ability to show both old school paranoia within the context of a creature feature not trying to make an overt statement about the state of the world. It is simply one woman's journey with the world against her in a way though she is simply in a cage of her own circumstance. In that way, the film is undeniable. Brynn (Kaitlyn Dever) is a pariah of sorts though we only get circumspect perceptions of what everyone thinks that she is or was capable on. That is why the impression certain visitors make only seem to strengthen her resolve to be herself. Dever plays the situation with reluctant ferocity with a little bit of Wendy Torrance melded with a bit of Ripley.
Director Brian Duffield does an exceptional job of paying tribute to those who have come before him from the darker edge of "E.T." to "Signs" to "Fire In The Sky" and of course certain parts of "Close Encounters Of The Third Kind". Working on a controlled budget but it seems the full run of the town (however small) gives the film a great feeling of claustrophobia but also of necessity. While Duffield does use understood approaches, he uses details and objects that are more practical in nature from household items to escaping on a bus to fields to the underneath of bed as jumping off points without getting too complicated. The film works best in these moments without overemphasizing them. Dever keeps the heightened awareness up never betraying any tongue-in-cheek. Brynn is just trying to survive but knows when it is not her.
After "Ticket To Paradise" which was a bit more softball (where Billie Lourd got better scenes than she did -- including a killer one at the bar with George Clooney), she reflects exactly what made her good in "Booksmart" but in a different context. There is a passing similarity to Shailene Woodley so it will be interesting to see what director she works with next. Not all actresses can interact with effects, especially on the ground, as Dever does with aplomb here. Sometimes some sequences, like one in an open field behind the house, look a little too cartoonish. However when it becomes about the people in the town under control (especially one mailman), it takes on a more dire context. The ending is more "Twilight Zone" in its delivery which is fine and perfectly dovetails in the fight that Brynn has been bringing together, both internally and externally. The great thing is that from the beginning she doesn't pull punches. She doesn't hesitate. And she won't take it anymore until she can't. A-
By Tim Wassberg
