You Won't Be Alone
Creepy folk horror has violence, gore, sex, nudity.
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You Won't Be Alone
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that You Won't Be Alone is a bewitching folk horror with strong scenes of gore, sex, abuse, and violence. Set in 19th-century Macedonia, it involves a teenage girl, Nevena (Sara Klimoska), who is turned into a witch, allowing her to kill others and take on their form. Grisly scenes involve death and human entrails, and a baby is cut and has their tongue scratched out -- off-screen, though blood is shown. Sexual intercourse is portrayed and full male and female nudity shown. Traditional gender roles and physical and sexual abuse are normalized in the small village, though in observing them as new experiences, the central character goes some way to calling them out. Occasional language includes "bugger" and "damn" and there is some smoking and an incident of drinking to the point of intoxication. As well as its creepy folklore origins, the story is about understanding humanity and developing empathy toward others.
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What's the Story?
In YOU WON'T BE ALONE, Nevena (Sara Klimoska) is marked as a baby to be handed over to a witch (Anamaria Marinca) when she turns 16. Hidden underground by her mother, she grows up feral and alone, until she is captured as promised and turned into a witch herself. Given the grisly ability to live in the skin of others, the young woman lives as Bosilka (Noomi Rapace), Boris (Carloto Cotta), and Biliana (Alice Englert), learning about humanity as she goes. But can she ever find happiness as another, or is she doomed to live on the edges, like her vengeful witch-mother?
Is It Any Good?
Transcending genre to create something unexpectedly unique and endlessly fascinating, writer-director Goran Stolevski's first feature film is a brave undertaking that really pays off. With its roots in Macedonian folklore and tradition, Stolevski has created You Won't Be Alone from the branches of the past, twisting and guiding them into a new myth and message that will resonate long after the final scene.
Having the main character, Nevena, take on different forms can be a confusing and alienating experience for the audience. But the way in which the actors here -- Klimoska, Rapace, Cotta, and Englert -- maintain a group set of movements and expressions has the remarkable ability to join the performances in a way that really does feel like the same character is existing in different skins. The sense of awe and wonder carries through, and with it learning from others and developing understanding of humanity itself. It's still incredibly creepy in parts, and the amount of entrails alone will no doubt keep gore fans satisfied. But those looking for cheap scares and easy answers won't find them here.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence and gore in You Won't Be Alone. How much was shown, and in what context? What effect did it have? What's the impact of media violence on kids?
Was the movie scary? What makes something scary? How did this film compare with other horror movies you've seen?
Talk about the themes of identity raised in the film. How did living in other bodies and having different experiences affect Nevena's understanding of the world? Did you think it helped her develop empathy?
Discuss gender roles in the movie. How did Nevena's experience of the village dynamics for the first time help to draw attention to them?
How was sex portrayed in the film? Was it affectionate? Respectful? Parents, talk to your teens about your own values regarding sex and relationships.
Movie Details
- In theaters: April 1, 2022
- On DVD or streaming: April 21, 2022
- Cast: Noomi Rapace, Sara Klimoska, Anamaria Marinca
- Director: Goran Stolevski
- Studio: Focus Features
- Genre: Horror
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy
- Run time: 108 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: violence and gore, sexual content, graphic nudity, and sexual assault
- Last updated: May 24, 2022
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