In the ravishing “You Won’t Be Alone” (In theaters Friday) a newly-minted witch poignantly tries to assimilate with superstitious, brutish peasant farmers in 19th Century Macedonia. Nevena (Sara Klimoska), raised in seclusion until age 16, is delivered as a companion to Old Maria (Anamaria Marinca) a dreaded, scarred witch. While her bullying keeper has good reason to despise humans, wild child Nevena is fascinated by them. She learns that, with borrowed entrails, she can assume the physical forms of those she kills (not indiscriminately) and even corpses and animals. Under new skins, she desperately tries to fit in but her clumsiness often gives her away.
Australian writer/director Goran Stolevski, ala Anne Rice, shows us the cruel world from Nevena’s viewpoint as a procession of gifted actors (including Noomi Rapace in a supporting role) play her host bodies. Their poignant fumblings are reminiscent of Karloff’s Frankenstein monster. Even Old Maria eventually earns our sympathy when her back story reveals how she earned her scars.
Shot in Serbia, “You Won’t be Alone” is visual story telling at its apex, set in rugged mountains and deep, lush forests (two different pals compared it to latter day Terence Malick sans his ponderous tendencies). Subtitled dialogue is sparse and usually thought balloons as Nevena tries to grasp codes and customs like when to laugh, be quiet and emote. (She memorably calls tears “eye water”).
Despite slashes of earned gore, I’m reticent to call it straight up horror. Dark, folkloric fantasy with earned humanism is more on point and discerning shudder buffs and cineastes will be utterly enthralled. – Review by Eric Lindbom
Eric Lindbom is a hardcore horror buff with a strong stomach, weened on the Universal classics from the ’30s and ’40s. He’s written film and/or music reviews for City Pages, Twin Cities Reader, LA WEEKLY, Request magazine and Netflix. He co-edits triggerwarningshortfiction.com, a site specializing in horror, fantasy and crime short stories with illustrations by co-editor John Skewes. He lives in Los Angeles.
