The first feature from director Goran Stolevski, You Won’t Be Alone is far from a traditional narrative film. Instead, this Australian/Macedonian co-production is a uniquely constructed sensory experience through Macedonian folklore that slowly unfurls into an enigmatic mediation on the human experience.
It’s 19th century Macedonia, Nevena (Sara Klimoska), the daughter of a harshly protective mother is kidnapped by a scarred witch referred to by the locals as “wolf-eateress” (Anamaria Marinca, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days). After Nevena is turned into a witch, she is taught how to live in the woods eating animals, surviving on her own and eventually, how to shapeshift. Shortly after, Nevena is abandoned where she runs into an abused wife (Noomi Rapace) at a nearby village and accidentally kills her. Nevena then decides to shapeshift into the wife and learns to live in her newfound body.
You Won’t Be Alone is a folk horror tale in the vein of most notably Robert Eggers’ The Witch but with a similar narrative structure to Jonathan Glazer’s elliptical Under the Skin. This is a story that spans decades as our lead shapeshifts through bodies, genders, and even species. Stolevski uses this framing, more abstract than traditional, as a device to explore some profound themes. The film utilizes a metaphysical narration that questions, even downright interrogates human nature. Often, Stolevski will use this heavenly narration and the striking photography by cinematographer Matthew Chuang (Blue Bayou) to counter the startling content onscreen. It’s a compelling balance of the darkness that lingers throughout the film with the luminous beauty in Chuang’s images.
Despite their harsh environments, Stolevski shows a great deal of empathy and humanity to his characters, even the most sinister one of them all. There’s a sensitivity to Stolevski’s presentation that feels all encompassing. In tackling many themes including motherhood, sexuality and hubris, Stolevski uses his unique narrative to explore a different ideology through each of Nereva’s hosts.
There is undoubtedly a Malickian influence ever-prevalent here, and often too on the nose. Similar shots, tones and even music cues tend to border on the derivative side. Although the film has one foot set firmly in genre filmmaking, there is an overall lack of atmosphere that prevents Stolevski from truly gripping you. The element of body horror does provide some graphic imagery and gnarly effects, even if one critical character looks a bit too much like a notorious boogeyman from the 80’s. The climax, which does end with an emotional payoff, is too rushed, feeling like Stolevski is sprinting to the finish line.
You Won’t Be Alone makes for an unsettling, but fulfilling experience. Although it never definitively haunts, this is still a unique filmmaking debut for its director.
Thanks for reviewing this. If you hadn’t I wouldn’t have known about this film I not want to very much see. I love a lot of Malick’s work and the way you describe the film made me think of Von Trier for some reason. So to have a film with a little bit of these influences but something unique to itself makes me very excited to see it.