Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: YOU WON’T BE ALONE [Sundance Film Festival 2022 - Virtual]
The idea and perceptions of existence or the primal has lingered throughout some films in this year's Sundance line up. Some are more realism based. Some are more metaphorical. "You Won't Be Alone" [World Cinema Dramatic Competition] is a little mix of both. The film interestingly enough is mostly silent save for the essence of voice over which is told in riddles. The through line and how the central character of Nevena (Sara Klimoska) works comes to bear but through different iterations of a sort. The construct of her character and her reasoning for being is a blank slate but the journey she undertakes is one of existence, of what it means to be human from all its different facets: woman, man, child and the essence of time and learning. To give away any more would be tricky. Suffice to say though that Noomi Rapace's involvement in her character is only one facet of the story but what is interesting is how many of the actors take on a certain representation of life.
Set in the Middle Ages or before of Macedonia, there is a little bit of a notion of The Garden but spiked by witchcraft in a certain way. The path of a certain character in the name of Old Maria is more the catalyst, not because of any reasoning but in that it is who she is through a matter of circumstance. What the themes also revolve in is consequence, societal standing, want, etc. It is very interesting as time goes on to hear the internal monologue of Nevena in her various states but also what the actor himself or herself is showing in terms of reaction to given situations. The mention of eye water versus a rumbling of bowels are interesting connotations of a person trying to make sense of something they don't have a vocabulary for. The film basically moves in 3 distinct acts with a prologue establishing the crux of the path but not the reasoning. The reasoning is based in the primal or the idea of the unknown. While fascinating at times, the film is also disconnecting while making its point in the end abundantly clear. The connotation is full circle but shows the evolution in a specific type of way. B
By Tim Wassberg
