You Won't Be Alone(2022)(Review)

I love a good witchcraft story. As long as the folklore holds up in some way, I’m usually forgiving with a lot of the other elements. But what we have here is an experimental dark fantasy film that is soaked in blood and dread as we go on a journey of transformation and adaptation.

‘You Won’t Be Alone’ is anything but a simple story. It takes place in 19th century Macedonia, and begins by showing a badly scarred/burned crone whose entered a barn and preying over an infant. The mother catches her and pleads for her to let her live. The crone agrees, but says she will return on the child’s 16th birthday – and rips her tongue out to seal the deal. The mother runs and hides her in a cave in the mountain, leaving her there so she cannot be found. She pays her visits on occasions, but on her 16th birthday there is an extra visitor in the form of an eagle – the shapeshifting crone. The crone kills the mother and abducts the child, transforming her into a witch herself.

The rest of the story shows this woman growing and learning about nature, but she resents the crone and cannot speak, so when she randomly encounters a random villager, she shapeshifts and joins the colony under-the-radar. Villagers are accidentally killed off while the young witch attempts to learn how to communicate, how to be part of a community, and how to escape her kidnapper.

This movie is hard to explain because it is an experience. It is one of the most gorgeous films to watch that I’ve seen in a while, and it bounces between languages which is disorienting to a point. Most of the dialogue in the film is just philosophical ponderings on nature’s works and human connection via audible thoughts, with only 25% or so of the dialogue being actual conversations between people. There isn’t any real visceral horror, but by the end of the film I felt something shift inside of me.

This movie feels like “The VVitch” meets “Under the Skin” if Terrence Malick directed it. It plays like an arthouse film first and foremost, with only quick pieces of bloody violence at certain moments. It’s sweeping and mystical to the highest degree. It stars Noomi Rapace for a big chunk of the film, but since the character shapeshifts quite often, this character is played by multiple actors.

It’s certainly not for everyone, but someone looking for a grounded film on witchcraft, and a fan of period pieces, then this is an excellent film I highly suggest. It’s profound and deep while not really saying anything. It’s meditative and haunting if you’re in the right mood for it.

4/5
“You Won’t Be Alone” is currently streaming on Starz, Vudu, and Prime.

‘Til Next Time,
Mike Cleopatra