In reviews and ads, “You Won’t Be Alone” is being marketed as a horror pic — which isn’t untrue, but also isn’t exactly accurate. It’s more of a dark fairytale. Or a religious epic if religious epics featured witchcraft. Or a sensual European arthouse odyssey that’s bathed in equal parts golden sunlight and blood. What I’m trying to say is that “You Won’t Be Alone” defies categorization, is truly sui generis. It’s a prime example of the magic, emotion, and beauty that cinema is capable of creating.
Set in and around a mountain village in 19th century Macedonia, the film opens with a witch, Old Maid Maria (Anamaria Marinca), cursing a newborn baby girl. Old Maid Maria snatches out the child’s tongue, rendering her non-verbal, and vows to come back and claim her when she’s 16. In a misguided attempt at protection, the baby’s mother keeps her hidden in seclusion in a consecrated cave. This doesn’t foil Old Maid Maria so much as keep the young woman, Nevena (Sara Klimoska), cut off from life during her formative years. In any case, Old Maid Maria wins: at the aforementioned milestone, she comes for Nevena, transforms her into a witch, and brings her out into the world.
The bulk of “You Won’t Be Alone” follows Nevena as she acclimates to this new reality. With curiosity and enthusiasm, she learns about her powers, humans and their rules, Old Maid Maria’s past, and the wonder and tragedy of life on earth.
As a witch, Nevena has the ability to shape-shift and take on other living beings’ forms when they die. She comes to understand power hierarchies and gender as Bosilka (Noomi Rapace), a new mother who is abused by her husband. Nevena takes on the form of a dog to observe humans from the outside. As village lothario Boris (Carloto Cotta), Nevena experiences the pleasures of having a body, from sex to eating good food to using one’s muscles to basking in the sunshine. And as the young Biliana (Anastasija Karanovich), Nevena has the childhood she was denied by Old Maid Maria and her mother. She has fun with other kids, enjoys a loving family, finds a place within a community. By the time Biliana is grown (Alice Englert), Nevena has taken all she has learned during her many lives and found that being human can be pretty amazing.
And yet. Being human is also a nightmare: there’s cruelty, violence, loss, grief, injustice. What is the point of it all? Is there a point? Old Maid Maria doesn’t think so but Nevena is more torn. Throughout her lives, she has been abused and nurtured, threatened and treasured, broken and reborn, joyous and miserable. She has had pain inflicted upon her, and has in turn inflicted pain on others. In the grand scheme of things, does the good outweigh the bad? Is life actually worth it?
As spring approaches (at least here in the Northern Hemisphere) — that time of year that’s defined by an explosion of color and warmth and renewal — I highly recommend seeking out the sublime “You Won’t Be Alone.” In addition to being one of those increasingly rare movies for adults, it’s a surprisingly uplifting folk tale about reinvention, mortality, and the circle of life. Given Nevena’s shape-shifting and her time as Boris, it can also be read as an allegory for trans identity or queer exploration.
“You Won’t Be Alone” is so much more than a scary story about a witch. It’s the best movie of the year so far.
“You Won’t Be Alone” is now in theaters.
