#noonegetsoutalive

The fewer your characters’ options, the more tense the scenario. No One Gets Out Alive demonstrates this well. It’s a horror film with something to say that's also frightening. Even when everything is “safe”, you’ll be filled with uncertainty and when the dangers are apparent, you’ll be overwhelmed by dread, wondering how a happy ending could be an option. This is a horror movie; happy endings are not guaranteed, which makes it that much better.

Ambar (Cristina Rodlo) is an undocumented Mexican immigrant living in Cleveland, trying to piece together the funds required to move out of the dilapidated boarding house in which she lives. Complicating things is her late mother, who haunts her metaphorically and physically. Or perhaps it’s the building that holds a dark secret related to the spirits of the dead.

The film’s biggest flaw is that it tells you before the credits even begin that an ancient Aztec artifact is causing supernatural happenings inside the boarding house. Then again, if this wasn’t hinted at early on, it would feel like it came out of nowhere, even with the ghosts. Maybe the film needed to be longer and the info slowly/subtly revealed. That’s a small blemish on an otherwise effective film.

What this movie is really about are immigrants - illegal or not - and their fears when moving to a so-called promised land. The closest person Ambar has to a relative here is her late mother’s cousin, a man she’s never met. It’s hard to blame Beto (David Barrera) and his family for being apprehensive about helping, which is exactly what so many people are banking on. Everyone - even other immigrants - recognize her as easily exploitable. She would hardly stand a chance even if she wasn’t tormented at night by shadows.

Another one of the film’s strengths is the relationship between Ambar and her mother. It’s… complicated. You can tell why Ambar doesn’t know how to react when she sees her spirit in the distance, looking at her. Why is she there? Is love keeping her from moving on? Is it resentment? Although Ambar listens to the last voicemail her mother has sent her over and over, you can tell the relationship was becoming strained towards the end. Ambar had to give up so much to keep her mom alive. She put aside her dreams for years and now, she’s living in a nightmare. Even if there wasn’t for this box causing something to happen in the building, you sense that the dead mother would be there in the distance, watching with gleaming eyes in the dark.

At one point, No One Gets Out Alive goes in a wild direction. Whether that prompts you to get off the ride or fall in love, I can’t say. For me, it was jarring at first but tied the whole picture together to make an effective, disturbing, and unsettling conclusion. It’s got a great “monster” that reinforces the point made by Joana Borja’s character. Even before then, No One Gets Out Alive is moody, chilling, and relevant. It’s a good directorial debut for Santiago Menghini, who I hope brings us many more sleepless nights. (October 17, 2021)

No One Gets Out Alive premieres today

No One Gets Out Alive, the new movie from Santiago Menghini, is out today.

First look at No One Gets Out Alive

A new trailer has been released for No One Gets Out Alive, which is set to release September 29, 2021.