The first film is an engaging exercise in compelling storytelling with no dialogue, while the second is a hilarious, lovingly sketched mockumentary of theater kids.

No One Will Save You (Disney+) - It’s often remarked that film is primarily a visual medium and that too many words and too much talking can weigh a film down and defeat the purpose of the medium. So, in this day and age of talk and even more talk, it’s refreshing to come across a film that’s essentially an exercise in compelling filmmaking with no more than 10 words of spoken dialogue. It is a horror film with a Sci-fi premise, and I’ll salute writer and director Brian Duffield for holding my attention throughout this film. Duffield is better known for writing on spec and was responsible for the film Love and Monsters in 2020. While he only handled the writing chores for that little film gem, he sits in the director's chair and proves he’s no slouch.

Kaitlyn Dever (remember her in Booksmart?) portrays Brynn, and she puts in a deceptively effective performance. Given the genre, premise, and paucity of dialogue, the film would be driven more by action, effects, music, and the staging of camerawork and editing - yes, they all are essential. Still, I’ll also stand by how Dever, via her convincing facial expressions and movement, makes us believers of Duffield’s vision. While one could say there are plot twists and turns that stretch credibility, it’s all part of the journey the film plans to take us on. The film opens in fairy tale style with a house near the woods, and Dever is our guide through this rabbit hole of a world. Try this film, and stay for the wild and wooly ride!

Theater Camp (Amazon Prime on Demand) - Here is a hilarious mockumentary that chronicles one summer in the life of Adirond-ACTS, a theater summer camp in upstate New York that caters to rich kids into the performing arts. Not just about the kids, the film deftly explores the lives and relationships of the people who end up as teachers, staff, and movers of such a camp. So yes, read into that demographic: your frustrated thespians, those who never entirely made it, those who have retired but don’t want to let go, and those who genuinely love the whole theater world. Directed and written by Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman, it’s excellent that genuine theater stalwarts like Ben Platt, Amy Sedaris, Ayo Ediberi, Noah Galvin, and Jimmy Tatro make up the ensemble cast.

And I’ll salute Gordon and Lieberman for being self-aware enough to know that while it is a milieu they love and thrive in, they’re ready to mock themselves and point out the eccentricities and foibles of those who inhabit that world. The teachers, the staff at the camp, the video-entrepreneur son of the woman who founded the camp - they’re all riots, and it’s fun to watch them reveal themselves and implode. And the kids! These kids know more about Lerner and Loewe than they do about Tom and Jerry. The types put up posters of Stephen Sondheim, Idina Menzel, or Andrew Lloyd Webber over those of Brad Pitt, Taylor Swift, or Steve Jobs. We’re given a glimpse of what life is like for these kids and how different they are. It’s a loving tribute and funny to boot.