PLOT: In an isolated mountain village in 19th-century Macedonia, a young witch abducted by an ancient, shape-shifting woman is abandoned in the wilderness, where her curiosity about the lives of humans leads her to inhabit the bodies of a series of local villagers.
REVIEW: Filmmaking can be a very powerful tool. Stylistic choices made by key players behind the camera can draw you into a motion picture so much that it becomes almost hypnotizing. If you get lost in a film’s style and become so transfixed by the experience, the movie has done its job. That’s exactly how I felt while watching You Won’t Be Alone, a haunting new horror movie from writer Goran Stolevski, who is also making his directorial debut with the film. There is a chilling mix of folklore and mystery that is at the essence of the film but it’s also a surprisingly touching tale of self-discovery. I’m throwing this out there now that You Won’t Be Alone may not appeal to the casual moviegoer or those just browsing for a cool horror flick to watch. The term “elevated horror” has been tossed around a lot lately, most recently in the latest Scream, and that’s what you’re going to find here. There is horror in the subtext and there are scenes of intense gore that will make horror aficionados happy but there is something much deeper running through You Won’t Be Alone and if you’re willing to give it a chance, you’ll be treated with a compelling piece of cinema.
There is a haunting calmness that runs throughout You Won’t Be Alone. The tone of the film forces you to pay attention to it and that is what sucks you in. At the center of the story is a tale of dangerous supernatural secrets that have plagued the Macedonian mountains. The most prevalent of these forces is the existence of “Old Maid Maria” (Anamaria Marinca), an embittered witch whose story has terrified children for 200 years. Maria longs for a daughter to keep her company and she attempts to abduct a newborn baby by the name of Nevena (Sara Klimoska). Nevena’s mother doesn’t want to give up her child but isn’t presented with much of a choice. The bargain she comes up with finds her convincing Maria to let her raise the child until she turns 16 and at that time she will surrender Nevena to her. Maria seals the bargain by marking the child, which renders her mute.
As promised, Maria returns on Nevena’s 16th birthday and transforms the girl into a witch. The riveting thing about this section of the film is that Maria isn’t so much interested in motherhood as she is in just having a companion to keep her company that will do her bidding. Nevena is naturally curious about life, as her inner monologue expresses during key moments of the film so we know her thoughts and feelings. Maria tries to suppress this curiosity and it creates some interesting parallels regarding parents who are afraid about letting their children leave the nest. Some are worried about their children heading out into the real world alone while some are concerned about their own loneliness. Maria is the former.
Realizing that she can’t control Nevena as she sees fit, Maria abandons her but she leaves her with one particularly eerie skill before departing. She teaches Nevena how to consume the shape of any creature she kills. Now that Nevena is on her own, her loneliness and curiosity about human nature draw her to a nearby village. Her admiration of a crying baby turns deadly when she is discovered by a peasant named Bosilka (Noomi Rapace). She accidentally kills Bosilka but then takes on her form and takes her place in the village. Nevena soon discovers more about human life and it sparks even more curiosity to take on other forms to learn more. However, not all of the self-discovery is liberating and she learns how dark human life can actually be.
Writer and director Goran Stolevski makes Nevena’s journey compelling to watch. Now played by Noomi Rapace, she finds life in the village to be brutal and unpredictable but she is also fulfilled by the experience. There are times when she is treated to acts of kindness, things she never felt while with Maria, and Nevena achieves a level of happiness she has never felt before. Stolevski also isn’t afraid to go dark here and that is evident when Nevena is attacked in the middle of the night by a man attempting to sexually assault her. While she slays her attacker, it becomes a fascinating story point that she discovers the weakness of being a vulnerable woman in a dangerous situation.
Nevena’s curiosity is what keeps us invested. We want to discover these new feelings along with her. Even though she is mute, we hear her thoughts and with each new encounter, her own character develops even more. Perhaps the film’s most bold choice is when she assumes the body of a young man named Boris (Carloto Cotta). Boris is aesthetically handsome and with that comes advantages and freedoms that Nevena never thought possible. It should also be noted that she seduces and kills Boris to assume his body, an act she had just learned when she was previously attacked in the village. The film shows not all life lessons are good ones and that some behavior, is definitely learned.
Goran Stolevski’s biggest stroke of genius is how the story eventually comes full circle. After a 10-year old girl is critically injured, Nevena assumes her identity to begin a fresh start. Through this life, she discovers the joyful childhood that she was denied. She even finds love as Biliana (Alice Anglert), eventually marrying when she comes into womanhood. Soon she becomes pregnant and this sparks the sudden return of Maria, which forces her to make her own unthinkable choice.
You Won’t Be Alone is a bit of a slow burn but it’s really all about the journey. I was reminded a bit of Valdimar Jóhannsson’s Lamb, which was released last year and also starred Noomi Rapace. That film was all about mood and atmosphere created by stunning cinematography and production design. That film’s central story was very weird and offbeat but Jóhannsson tapped into the human aspects of the story to make its themes relatable. That is what Goran Stolevski does with You Won’t Be Alone. He hones in on our fears of loneliness, isolation, self-discovery, losing control of our bodies, and giving up a life we have come to love, and makes that the “horror” of the story. That’s not to say that there aren’t moments of real horror that don’t resonate. The consumption of the bodies to take their form is particularly brutal and Maria’s makeup design makes her a chilling character whenever she appears on-screen.
The acting in You Won’t Be Alone is top-notch and many of the performers, particularly those who have to play their roles after Nevena has consumed them, show impressive nuances that point to the transformation. As main Nevena, Sara Klimoska captures your attention from her very first scene. Since her character is mute, most of her acting is all body language and glances. While we do hear her speak via voiceover for her inner monologue, much of what we learn about her is what’s done without words. Noomi Rapace will be the most notable name in the cast for most watchers having appeared in Prometheus and Bright and she delivers another compelling performance. I appreciate her desire to seek out complicated roles in complicated films. Much like she did in Lamb, she gives a 100% committed turn, and this is true of just about every performer in the film.
You Won’t Be Alone is a haunting and poetic tale of self-discovery. While it’s steeped in Macedonian folklore, the film’s true horror is the uncertainty of human nature. It shows us while there is beauty in human life, there is also darkness. You Won’t Be Alone isn’t afraid to explore both sides.