Written and directed by Goran Stolevski
Starring Noomi Rapace, Annamaria Marinca, Alice Englert, Sarah Klimoska
Rated R (violence and gore, sexual content, graphic nudity, and sexual assault)
Runtime: 108 minutes
Currently in theaters

by Victoria Potenza, Staff Writer

Content Warnings: Rape, Assault, Violence against children, violence against animals

I love stories about witches. I always gravitate towards them, especially now when there is an abundance of narratives featuring the witch archetype. Naturally, I was looking forward to You Won't Be Alone for that reason. This film completely surprised me, and loved it for reasons I did not expect. I could see horror fans being disappointed in the lack of horrific imagery, but at the heart of this film is a story of loneliness, a search for belonging, and an appreciation for the beauty that life holds even when confronted with darkness.

You Won’t Be Alone follows the story of Nevena (Sarah Klimoska), who is cursed by a witch in childhood. To protect her, her mother hides her away in a cave hoping that she might save her from further contact with the witch. However, this isolation makes Nevena drawn to the darkness, and eventually she becomes a pupil of the witch Maria (Anamaria Marinca). She learns, through her powers, that she can take on the form of other people. She uses this power, for no wicked intent, but to find community and understand the people around her. Her long life of isolation makes her intrigued by the villagers she comes in contact with and through them she learns more about the life she wishes to lead, if Maria will let her do so. 

The film subtly presents most of this information and I could see how easily it would be to not pick up on exactly what is happening. However, I was immediately under the spell of this film and felt attuned to its narrative and the childlike voiceover of Nevena. The language of the film is Macedonian, a language I am not familiar with, and given that Nevena spent so long in isolation it is sometimes hard to understand what she is trying to say. However, I felt the film did a fantastic job of making you understand what she is expressing, and by the end you completely in tune with Nevena. The film is poetic both in its writing and in its shot choice, and encourages you to not get swept up in the details but simply go along with the journey you are watching. 

There are many interesting themes that Goran Stolevski taps into, especially around motherhood and womanhood. One thing explored is the idea that even with the best intentions, it is possible to do incredible damage to a child. Early on it is clear Nevena’s mother is doing what she thinks is right by her daughter, but this ultimately leads to her rebellion and curiosity about the things she is being protected from. She even tries to find a secondary mother in Maria, but Maria’s past has hardened her to all others and made her reject the community she came from. Instead she becomes a spector, a thing of folklore, a bedtime story designed to scare naughty children. When it becomes clear that this is not the kind of life Nevena wants to lead she rejects her, yet continues to haunt her like a disappointed mother who reminds her child of all she has done wrong in her life. 

Through Nevena’s power she is able to move from body to body and discovers the different treatment received by animals, women, and men. In the end it makes her more sympathetic to those around her. She gets to be a voyeur, she watches people and empathizes with all that they end up going through. Even though Maria constantly tells her that she is not a normal person, and will never be accepted, Nevena continues her quest to love and be loved. While she may never be exactly like the others she continues on in this quest to find and hold onto the important things in life. 

The film has profound empathy for all of its main characters, even in showing us the cruelty that turned Maria into the monster she becomes. When we talk about the monstrous feminine there is always something inherently human and empathetic about their stories, because monsters are often something we create. 

You Won't Be Alone is a gorgeous film. From its cinematography, to its score, to its fascinating characters. There was not much I did not love about the film. I appreciate how expansive the horror genre has become. While some might not think of this in those terms, this tells a story that is hard to tell in other genres. Horror is full of outcasts and monsters; often ones shaped by the rigorous societal norms we set. Nevena and Maria are two beautiful monstrous witch women that fit well within this genre.