Set in an isolated village in 19th-century Macedonia, writer-director Goran Stolevski’s debut feature You Won’t Be Alone sees a young girl taken from her mother and transformed into a witch by an ancient spirit.

Humans are brought into this world crying; these loud wails become a commonly heard sound in the background of this film, a reminder that there’s new life being introduced as the witch takes on different bodies. “Every last me,” each iteration of the witch, is played by different actors who all give incredibly raw performances. The close-ups on their faces show a curiosity as they learn from those around them; studying the roles of each person–man, woman, child–and how they differ in society, experiencing joys such as laughter and motherhood, along with the downfalls, especially as a woman in a male-dominated society. They note each of their observations through delicate narration, with Stolevski’s poetic script layered over Bradshaw’s score, invoking a deep sense of awe as we listen to the beauty being found in such simplicity that is often taken for granted. 

Chuang’s eyeful cinematography captures this admiration of the earth and the place humans have within it: the beauty of love, the sun shining through the trees, tasting fresh fruit, having sex. This is juxtaposed with the gore and the violence, but even that has a sublime innocence to it; the witch embodies the same violence and purity that exists in nature, of the indifferent land and the animals who act on primal instinct. 

To see the world through the eyes of someone who is now just discovering it helps us to find that same childlike wonder that’s been lost for so long since growing up. You Won’t Be Alone is a gorgeous meditation on humanity with supernatural horror elements tied in.

RATING: 4/5

INFORMATION

CAST: Noomi Rapace, Anamaria Marinca, Alice Englert, Carloto Cotta, Félix Maritaud, Sara Klimoska

DIRECTOR: Goran Stolevski

WRITER: Goran Stolevski

SYNOPSIS: In an isolated mountain village in 19th-century Macedonia, a young girl is transformed into a witch by an ancient, shape-shifting spirit.

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