Every day, teenagers around the world are in the process of discovering who they are. This growth occurs through experiences such as love, family, responsibility, passion, or a combination of these. Even in the villages deep in North Macedonia, where modern relationships intersect with traditional lifestyles, this journey of self-discovery continues, an aspect rarely highlighted in Western media. “DJ Ahmet” is a remarkable coming-of-age comedy that uses music and relationships to showcase Ahmet’s growth from a boy to a man.
Ahmet (Arif Jakup) is a 15-year-old boy pulled out of his school by his father (Aksel Mehmet) to help shepherd the sheep while he takes his 4-year-old brother, Naim (Agush Agushev), to the witch doctor to cure his muteness. With the family still reeling from their mother’s recent death, Ahmet falls further in love with music, something his brother equally loves but his father dislikes. He notices Aya (Dora Akan Zlatanova) in the village, recently returned from Germany for an arranged marriage to someone she does not know. Ahmet and Aya bond over their shared love of modern things such as TikTok, music, and dance, gradually falling more and more in love with each other. When Aya’s marriage goes ahead, Ahmet does whatever he can to cause a distraction for her to escape.
Technology is a key element in this film, generating many of the biggest laughs. The older generation often struggles to understand technology and frequently relies on Ahmet for help. For example, the local imam asks Ahmet to change his Facebook password and manage the mosque’s new PA system and computer setup, which becomes one of the film’s recurring, hilarious set-ups. While technology has become fully integrated into the lives of people in wealthier Western countries, rural areas of smaller nations are gradually adopting these technologies into their daily routines. The contrast between traditional and modern lifestyles creates amusing scenes, such as Ahmet listening to EDM music while herding sheep or the brothers attaching Sony speakers to their old tractor. Filmmaker Georgi M. Unkovski effectively uses this juxtaposition to generate humour and joy through these simple moments.
Ahmet shares a tender, unshakable bond with his younger brother Naim. No matter the hardships pressing down on him, Ahmet always puts Naim first — insisting on accompanying him to the witch doctor, determined to defend his brother’s silence even if no one listens. He takes Naim with him out to the farm, and even in the moments he spends with Aya, Naim is never far away. Their connection feels almost symbiotic: two brothers leaning on each other for strength, clinging to the only constant they have left after their mother’s death.
The film stumbles slightly in pacing near the end of its second act, with moments that might have benefited from tighter writing to sustain audience engagement. Nonetheless, the third act is outstanding, featuring a wedding night scene that provides one of the year’s best laughs, alongside some incredibly tender moments between father and son, as well as between the two brothers. There are aspects of the coming-of-age story that may feel too familiar, the narrative walking along a well-trodden path. But the culture that Unkovski brings to the story is what differentiates it from the dozens of similar tales told each year.
The entire principal cast delivers impressive debut performances. Leading a coming-of-age story demands a wide emotional range and a commanding voice, qualities that Jakup clearly has in abundance. He has such a distinctive look that you almost think that it’s a miracle he has never been in a film before, one of those faces that demands to be on the silver screen. Agushev stands out as one of the year’s best child performers, consistently hilarious and memorable despite having almost no lines. Zlatanova’s portrayal feels very modern. She discusses with Ahmet the contrasts between Germany and their village, acting like a whirlwind in Ahmet’s life and awakening him from the scripted future his father has set out for him.
“DJ Ahmet” raises an important question about the role of music in helping people move on from grief, as well as how vital the arts can be to a community. Ahmet’s father views the speakers as a distraction from his son’s daily life, considering them something that could be sold to cover the loss of a sheep. In contrast, Ahmet sees the speakers as a priceless connection to his mother, who loved music. For Ahmet, music serves as the therapy he needs to progress in life, which is the main point of contention between him and his father.
The North Macedonian countryside unfolds like a painting — rolling green pastures and thick woodlands framing the story in a landscape at once rugged and beautiful. The homes and farms carry a striking authenticity, with Ahmet’s own house radiating the sense of a place thoroughly lived in. From the bustling market stalls to the curious yellow vehicle their father drives, every detail feels rooted in the village itself, as if the camera has wandered in simply to observe a fifteen-year-old boy moving through an ordinary day in his world.
Overall, “DJ Ahmet” emerges as a quiet gem — a spirited, heartfelt journey that follows a North Macedonian village boy as he makes the swift, sometimes painful leap from adolescence into manhood. With this remarkable debut, Georgi M. Unkovski not only captures the breathtaking landscapes of his homeland but also the rhythms of life within it, leaving us eager to see where his vision leads in the films to come.
![The Devil’s Backbone [2001]: Del Toro’s Gothic Allegory](https://79468c92.delivery.rocketcdn.me/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/910THHbGcOL._SL1500_-768x508.jpg)
![Battle of the Sexes [2017] – An Imperfect Yet Rousing & Timely Examination of Rampant Sexism](https://79468c92.delivery.rocketcdn.me/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/cover2-768x512.jpg)
![Grave of The Fireflies [1988]: A Love Letter to Brotherhood](https://79468c92.delivery.rocketcdn.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Grave-of-The-Fireflies-1984.jpg)
