DJ Ahmet review: A feel-good film with great soundtrack
DJ Ahmet won the World Cinema Dramatic Audience Award and a Special Jury Award for Creative Vision at the Sundance Film Festival last year and it’s clear to see why. What a lovely film!
The drama is set in a remote village of Turkish people (Yörüks) in North Macedonia. The story follows Ahmet (Arif Jakup), a 15-year-old who is reluctantly pulled out of school so he can help his father (Aksel Mehmet) on the farm. To escape from the harsh realities of his life and the conservative community he lives in, Ahmet and his selectively mute younger brother Naim (Agush Agushev) find solace in dance music. Through music, Ahmet also bonds with fellow villager Aya (Dora Akan Zlatanova), who is secretly putting together a modern dance routine.
It’s really interesting seeing the clash between the traditional values of this community and the influence technology has had on the younger generation. The teenagers are exposed to social media and different music and cultures, and they have different desires and aspirations than the older, traditional generations. Ahmet is crippled by the weight of too much responsibility for his age and Aya doesn’t feel ready to become a wife. Their desires go against the values of the conservative community and it’s compelling to see this friction play out.
Writer-director Georgi M. Unkovski recruited some non-professional actors for his film – even a few from the village itself – to add a layer of authenticity to the film. You would never know that they’re first-timers, because they are so natural that it doesn’t feel like they’re playing characters. The bond between Ahmet and Aya shows the importance of finding someone who sees you and gets you for exactly who you are. But my favourite has to be Agushov, he’s so cute and he looks so happy when dancing. The dancing scenes are the overall highlights, as it’s so nice to see the characters finding moments of joy and getting a break from their hard lives.
DJ Ahmet is a feel-good crowdpleaser with some laugh-out-loud moments (the running mosque broadcast gag is hilarious), misbehaving sheep and a banging soundtrack. Highly recommend.
In cinemas from Friday 27th March
Read my interview with Unkovski here