Back in January, during Sundance, we reviewed Goran Stolevski’s exceptional feature debut You Won’t Be Alone. The film immediately captured us under its spell with its mermizing imagery and haunting sound design. Playing like a messed up Maleficent, or a bloodier fusion of 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 chronicles the journey of a young woman called Nevena. As a baby, Nevena is promised to a witch known as Old Maid Maria. The bargain is in exchange for the opportunity for her to grow up. In exchange for living as a human until sixteen she is then fated to follow in Old Maid Maria’s footsteps. You Won’t Be Alone follows Nevena as she learns the tools of witchcraft. Stolevski’s interpretation of the witch is far from ordinary. There’s a shape-shifting element that sees Nevena travel through a variety of vessels. As she transitions she begins to experience life for the first time, her mother having kept her in captivity in a bid to keep her from Old Maid Maria. Her immersion in the new world is made harder by Nevena’s inability to speak and causes further troubles.
Playing the various versions of Nevena are Noomi Rapace, Sara Klimoska, Alice Englert, and Carloto Cotta. Each of them makes the character their own whilst still retaining aspects of Nevena’s former life. It’s a head-scratching wonder to watch unfold and is an incredible accomplishment for a first-time feature director. Stolevski has spent many years working in the short film format and this transition to full-length feature is nothing short of spectacular.
As we’ve not stopped thinking about You Won’t Be Alone since that first viewing in January, we couldn’t wait to discuss it with Stolevski himself. During our interview he spoke of the important role that sound design plays, juggling multiple actors playing a singular role, and exactly why this idea became his first feature film.
You Won’t Be Alone is available on Digital Platforms to rent and own from 20th October 2022.
