From its introductory moments Goran Stolevski’s You Won’t Be Alone is an arresting and confronting experience, one that transports the viewer from the comfort of their seat to nineteenth century Macedonia, as it tells its complex and transformative story of a young witch’s journey through life.
You Won’t Be Alone features what is perhaps one of the most chilling and bold openings in recent years. The film begins with a tabby and white cat stalking some prey. The feline then disappears off screen, accompanied by the noise of ripping and squealing, it seems like the cat is a gonna, but then it appears on screen again, all in one piece. The camera then follows as the cat visits a woman with a young baby. So far there’s nothing that frightening, but the woman is about to be visited by Old Maid Maria, a witch known for eating children. There’s an unmistakable chill that creeps into the blood at the discovery of the menacing being hovering over a cute little bundle, and constant threat of attack will have nerves fraying. Desperate to save her child from the witches’ jaws, the mother instead strikes a deal: let her child live to sixteen and then the witch can take her. The witch isn’t content with a mere verbal agreement and cements the transaction by removing the infant’s ability to speak. This sequence is genuinely harrowing to watch and will strike extra fear and anguish into the hearts of those with children. It truly captures the tone of the darkest of Brothers Grimm tales and sets the mood for the gloom.
The story then skips forward to the fateful exchange date, a bloody affair that confirms Maria is not a being to be trifled with. As she leads her new charge, Nevena (Sara Klimoska), into the woods, Maria immediately begins to teach the peculiar ways of her witchcraft. The biggest of these powers is that of transformation; Maria is able to shapeshift into any form she wishes. These moments of metamorphosis are delightfully dank, the sound design is grotesquely remarkable in its ability to turn your stomach. Shapeshifting is nothing new in cinema, but the work in You Won’t Be Alone sets it apart as it sears your retinas with all its squishy gore and viscera. After a disagreement, Maria abandons the mute Nevena and leaves her to traverse the ever-changing world, and it’s here that You Won’t Be Alone gets really good.
With Nevena, the viewer travels through several lives as the fledgling witch shifts into body after body as she seeks to find her place in the world. Having been kept sheltered from the outside world, it is through each new vessel that innocent Nevena’s eyes are opened to the kingdom of man – the good and the bad, though a greater onus is placed on the negative aspect of man, at least for the first few bodies. Slowly the experience shifts to something slightly closer to life-affirming, but the ever-looming return of Maria keeps the audience and Nevena on edge.
A film with multiple actors portraying the lead character could lead to trouble. With so many people playing the role of Nevena there’s a very real risk of the wheels coming off. All it would take is for one actor’s ego to rear its head, and for them to want to stand out, and You Won’t Be Alone would fall apart. The casting department fortunately appears to have vetted their cast members well as there is not a trace of ego amongst the list of performers. Our group as a whole all seem to have thrust the needs and importance of telling Nevena’s story to the forefront, all taking cues from one another to ensure continuity of character. The transitions between different bodies are seamless, the audience never wavering in their belief they are always watching Nevena on screen. It helps too of course if one of your incarnations is played by the always flawless Noomi Rapace. If hairs were to be split, there is an argument that there is perhaps a switch too many, the pace of the film sagging slightly towards the end, but Stolevski manages to adjust and bring things back on track for the intensely emotional finale.
As Nevena is forever morphing from one body to another it is left to Anamaria Marinca’s Old Maid Maria to provide the touchstone for the viewer. Thanks to the dedication of the make-up team, the witch to whom Nevena’s existence is tied is stunningly realised. Her first appearance startles and unsettles the viewer, her otherness causing the hairs on the back of your arms to recoil. Maria’s appearance is a gnarled blending of Hellraiser’s Uncle Frank and Legend’s Darkness, perfectly nailing the mixture of horror and fairytale wickedness needed to sell the story. In terms of performance, Anamaria Marinca plays the part like Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent with added pessimism, and the malice of Clare Higgins’ Julia. She’s not entirely a black-hearted monster, the veil slipping on occasion to reveal forces and ordeals that placed her upon the path to destruction.This peek never humanises her fully, but does allow for flashes of sympathy for the devil-woman.
With the air rife with danger from the outset, You Won’t Be Alone is a wickedly woven Brothers Grimm type story brought to screen. Playing like a really fucked up Maleficent, or a bloodier fusion on Under the Skin and The Witch, You Won’t Be Alone is a haunting and often distressing wander through the darkness of a life bartered away.
You Won’t Be Alone
Summary
Although a troubling watch from the start, You Won’t Be Alone manages to connect with the viewer on an emotional level as it casts a spotlight on the biggest riddle of all: the human condition.
You Won’t Be Alone was reviewed at Sundance 2022.
