I have similar problem. To be exact, I only have problem with .ssa files so far. I tried to load .srt files and it works. If I run VLC in such way /Applications/VLC.app/Contents/MacOS/VLC some_vid.mkv --sub-file some_sub.ssa It complains that [ass] Shaper: FriBidi 0.19.7 (SIMPLE) HarfBuzz-ng 1.0.6 (...