‘You Won’t Be Alone’ is a supernatural drama that follows a young girl, Nevena, who grows up in isolation until one day she is freed by an older witch. Soon after she is transformed into a sorceress herself, leading to an array of adventures and leaning experiences.
As a babe, Nevena’s mother is met by Old Maid Maria a witch, at her house. She pleads with Maria to spare Nevena, promising to give up the girl when she comes of age. Having made a pact, Maria leaves, with the mother in tow with Nevena to a sacred cave where she hides the girl until she is 16.
Maria finds the cave and enters it in the form of an eagle, luring the mother to hear death. Disguised as Nevena’s mother, Maria leads Nevena out of the cave where the girl sees the outdoors for the first time. Trying to process her new surroundings, Nevena perturbs Maria and the old witch abandons the girl.
Seeing Maria kill and then take the shape of a wolf, Nevena goes to a nearby village and takes the shape of a young woman. Trying to fit in, the disguised Nevena tries to familiarize herself with others, how to interact and follow social cues. The woman whose body she had taken is married to an abusive man, and eventually Nevena kills him as he tries to rape her.
On the run, Nevena lures a young man away from his house eventually killing him and taking his form. Still learning, Nevena experiences life as a man, toiling and developing further as a person. Disguised as a man, she is lured to a barn by a woman who has sex with him. On another occasion, she sees a child being berated for not having done his chores, lending a hand in the boys duties. Nevena is later visited by Old Maria, forewarning her that the people around her will find her out and oust her.
One day Nevena rushes to aid a little girl who had fallen down a hill on rocks, finding hear dead. Struck with grief, Nevena decides to take the shape of the young girl. Finding that life is not only cruel but can be filled with joy, Nevena decides to live and grow up as the girl. Eventually she falls for Yovan, a village boy that she had grow up with. The two get married and are happy together, with Nevena deciding to share with him that she is a witch. Accepting of her, the two are soon expecting their first born.
One day, Nevena finds Yovan to have been mauled to death by a boar. Knowing that it was Old Maria, soon after the birth of her daughter, Nevena becomes paranoid of losing her child. After some time Maria does show up, scarring the child as she did Nevena when she first met her, with Nevena rushing to turn the child into a witch to save her life. Angered by Maria’s actions Nevena kills her, with the film closing on Nevena looking onto her child, remembering all of her past lives.
‘You Won’t Be Alone’ takes a very familiar trope, namely witches and shapeshifting, and uses it to tell a deeply contemplative story on the human condition. Through watching Nevena experience life outside of her cave for the first time and go through each subsequent person, the film depicts an initially sorrowful and tragic struggle as Nevena tries to associate with other humans, showing us an outside perspective on how someone completely unfamiliar with social norms would scarcely be accepted or considered as one of their own.
As time passed however, each subsequent life Nevena leads comes a step closer to understanding how to fit in and finding joy within a community. Even leading to a happy partnership with Yovan, Nevena gets to experience joy with the people around her and contentment in her life.
Always simmering in the background however is Maria. We learn of her past through a children’s story, finding out that her life was not easy, having been forced to marry a dying man, being raped and being burned at the stake. Always near by and reminding Nevena that the others will find her out, Maria serves as a constant reminder of how little it would take for Nevena to lose everything. Unable to see Nevena happy however, Maria kills Yoven out of spite and eventually confronts Nevena, asking her how she managed to lead such a good life. Maria serves as a conduit for regret and not being able to move on from past trauma. Jealous of Nevena’s life, Maria eventually goes out of her way to spite her. Perhaps deservedly, Maria dies, yet she had forced Nevena to pass on the curse to her child, reminiscent of intergenerational trauma and how the cycle is perpetuated by older generations, harming those who do not deserve it.
‘You Won’t Be Alone’ is a fantastic exploration of how people view each other and how we have to conform to societal norms and other peoples expectations to become a part of a greater collective. Through showing Nevena’s experiences via separate people, the film illustrates the crucial difference of a variety of starting points and how life may be inherently more difficult for some.
Through an outstanding cast performance, including Sara Klimoska, Noomi Rapace, Alice Englert and Carloto Cotta, who all depict Nevana’s growth and development, the film creates an even flow of how the young woman learns of her surrounding and others without breaking the illusion of Nevana carrying on through each vessel. Truly a mesmerising experience, ‘You Won’t Be Alone’ is a welcome addition to the sorcerer pantheon.
Score: 4/4
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