You Won't Be Alone

This is NOT a casual watch, nor is it really a horror film in the traditional sense. You Won't Be Alone is so bizarre, unconventional, and sometimes grotesque that I'm honestly baffled that it got funding. But I'm very glad that it did.

It's technically a witch movie, but it's also kind of an alien movie. Let me explain...

No spoilers here, but the premise follows a young witch in the 19th century who was kept isolated from humanity until adulthood, then experiences what it's like to be human for the first time by taking over the bodies of villagers and living out their lives.

The rest of the film is a soulful meditation that is essentially an alien observing how humans think, feel, and how they treat one another. It gives a very unique perspective on the simple things in life that we often take for granted, both good and bad.

It made me grateful for the full spectrum of human pleasures and pains-happiness and heartbreak.

The weirdness of the witch elements and the story's slow pace will definitely turn a lot of people off. The fact that a good chunk of the film just portrays normal simple lives being lived makes some moments feel rather repetitive. Sometimes I found myself thinking "I get the point, and I like the point, but let's move on now."

Still, this is one of those films that had such ambition that I can't help but admire it-even the small stuff I didn't personally care for.

If you are in a thinking mood, this is a soulful, dark drama that will certainly satisfy.

Imagine what you'd do, living life without a clue, growing up inside a cave, a mother's one and only slave, until such time does come to pass, you're a fully grown up lass, but there's dust between your ears, years and years devoid of peers; then you're freed by an old maid, a sorceress has come to aid, taking you as an apprentice, the omens are truly portentous, she's a little overcooked, and her talons are quite hooked, quite a disaffected soul, you may well pay, a hefty toll.

Absolutely nothing to do with witchcraft or horror once you've peeled away the skin, but a magnificent and engaging exploration of the influences and effects that take their toll and shape your soul.

"Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be" - Grandma Moses

I'm sure the people who tuned in anticipating a medieval feature on witches were shocked to their very conscience. The first act might resonate with familiar feelings that of a horror-centric set-up. The second act on the other hand sponsored a sudden change of course and heart in the core direction as well as in its style of narrative.

To summarize, "You Won't Be Alone" is not your ordinary tale revolving around some den full of witches nor does it have to do anything with their origination, those characteristics are merely used as backdrops to a much larger objective at play. To put it mildly, the story speaks of possibilities, of choices, all from a perspective of a young woman who's just been given the invaluable opportunity to look into her surroundings and her life itself.

With her innocent, compassionate gazes, we can see the world, the people, and all that is around her through a much simpler lens. Reflecting the very foundation of life itself that is fraught with pain, suffering (here it is symbolized through the toxic patriarchy), and everyday hardships, which are fairly synonymous for all human beings, irrespective of their genders or their sexual identities.

Yet, amidst all these inconveniences, there are moments worth cherishing, and there is love worth fighting for, even after so many nasty experiences, we are still left with the people whom we can trust, whom we can spend our whole life with, in those particular facets lies the true significance of living, the unreal feeling of existing, the incredible feeling of being Alive.

And I strongly believe, that's what the film wants to convey. We often make things too complicated for ourselves, we more often than not make things much more difficult for us as well as for our loved ones. At those peak moments of disquietude, and hopelessness, we might wanna take a look from a different perspective, we might wanna bring back our inner child, which is long forbidden. Perhaps, that childlike innocence, that very naivety would help us in those dire circumstances, maybe that is what we need, that is what our situations call for.

If you like Terrence Malick movies, you will love this movie.

It's about witchcraft and horror and outcast monsters. But there is so much more explored than just horror and scary situations. This movie will make you look at being human and life in general with new eyes, from a perspective of innocence and appreciation. There is so much beauty explored, from the beauty of basic human relationships to the beauty of nature and the beauty of the dark, scary and unknown aspects of reality.

A lovely movie, well acted with a meaningful and deeply philosophical story. Give it a try.

Dark, slow, disturbing, poetic, beautifully shot, tender, makes you ponder your existence, and one of the best portrayals of a witch I have seen.

Watched at Cinema 21.