(This is the first of two films from this year’s Sundance Film Festival I got virtual tickets for.)
Am I alone in saying that the majority of what I learn about other cultures is from art?
Of all the mediums, movies do it best (okay, that is a biased take) since they allow enough time to make their characters much more appealing as humans (sure, TV shows do too, but there is a lot of filler in between). Until recently, I knew virtually nothing about the country of Macedonia (I would fail to locate it on a map), so the setting of the film DJ Ahmet was uncharted waters for me. Yet, like all good movies, the story is still universal, and what man can’t relate to trying to impress a potential significant other when they were a teen?
The titular Ahmet, played by Arif Jakup, is a 15 year old living in a rural village in North Macedonia. Having recently lost his mother, he is pulled out of school by his father in order to tend the sheep at home, while his little brother Naim (a truly adobable scene stealer named Agush Agushev) has been silent since the mother passed. While all does seem gloomy (not visually, as North Macedonia truly seems like a gorgeous place), he soon meets Aya (Dora Akan Zlatanova), and there is no denying the connection when the music cues up.
Music is as essential to the telling of the story as it is to the story itself. We learn Ahmet’s late mother was a fan of listening to music, and it becomes a form of therapy for him and his little brother (their father is against it). At the same time, Aya is in the final stages of being married off by her father (which, understandably, she is not keen on doing), finding her escape by being in a dance group with friends and trying to go viral.
With two short films already under his belt, Georgi M. Unkovski does supply some rather nice visuals here. While some may point to the dance concert scene at night (which Sundance thankfully warns the viewers who may be affected by strobe lights), I was drawn more to the wide shots of the aforementioned beauty of the countryside. Unkovski (and cinematographer Naum Doksevski) bring every detail to the frame, right down to the dirt and grime (the physical and spiritual) on Ahmet’s face .
Parents, if your kids are able to read the subtitles, they should be fine. While there is no rating on the film yet, I would imagine a PG or light PG-13 rating. No sexual content but thematic elements and some swearing (though I don’t remember much of it).
Yes, this coming of age formula comedy drama is one we have seen before (CODA and Blinded by the Light are just a few recent ones), but that does not make them any less enjoyable, even if the predicting comes easy. What makes DJ Ahmet work is that it does what the lead characters in all these types of movies learn: to stay true to themselves, and (especially for Ahmet), never lose sight of his tempo.
Note: I admit I was upset with Siri for not picking up the names of the songs from the soundtrack. Thankfully, I was able get what I could that was listed in the credits, meaning I have some sheer bangers to have on in the background of my daily life.
Overall:
Nothing else to say 