At the age of just 35, Azerbaijani filmmaker Elvin Adigozel has proven remarkably prolific, with two shorts and four features to his name, mostly centred on dramatic characters cast adrift in godforsaken regions where time seems to have stood still. His newest effort, My Magical World, which has just celebrated its world premiere in the Competition of the 25th goEast – Festival of Central and Eastern European Film, is no exception – its plot revolves around naive dreams born of the mundanity of daily life, while the tragedy derived from this reality serves as a barometer of the widespread sense of hopelessness.

Daydreamer Babek (Kamil Nazim) is a talented pop-folk singer who performs with a band at village weddings and in reeking taverns, all the while yearning for success in the city, inspired by the national TV show Baku Star. His immediate plan is to promote himself with a music video he has no idea how to pay for, but even though he persuades his authoritarian mother to take out yet another loan, he ends up squandering the money with flair, while he himself is drowning in debt. Meanwhile, his more down-to-earth childhood best friend Sahil (Jahangir Melik), who is also the band’s songwriter and promoter, and who may be somewhat jealous of his talent, helps him out financially but also grows increasingly anxious about losing Babek – and perhaps also Babek’s new lover, the beautiful waitress Zarif (Kamala Israfilova). Amidst escalating tension, an unexpected Cain and Abel-like scenario unfolds, which, however, appears neither as the culmination nor as the denouement of the story – Sahil’s processing of his sin and the depiction of the emotional void that ensues seem to be the main focuses of this macabre twist, as desperation takes over.

While the dramaturgical core of the screenplay, written by Adigozel himself, may feel exaggerated in its sudden switch to tragedy, a strong sense of authenticity flows through the peripheral details, revealing the specificity of local customs and realities. Babek’s immaturity likely stems from living with his mother in an almost incestuous configuration, where any girlfriend he brings home would be perceived as a threat to their bond. But for the patriarchal Sahil, himself the head of a family, the idea that Babek might have a separate life with Zarif far from home is blasphemous. Being the composer of the “My Magical World” song for the video and the musical leitmotif of the film, Sahil appears to be the desperate, nostalgic keeper of tradition, ready to commit a crime to preserve its integrity; however, everything suggests the battle was lost long ago. A greater tragedy than committing a crime to stop his friend from flying the nest may be the realisation that there was no reason to do so – their homeland has long lost the charm of childhood and now lies in the hands of the powerful of the day: arrogant detractors putting on a cheap façade and selling hollow dreams.

Teetering between gritty realism and melodrama – and without any ambition to be a cinematic masterpiece – My Magical World turns out to be quietly enchanting in its melancholic revelations about the rift between dreams and reality, about irreparable mistakes, and about the impossibility of turning back time.

My Magical World was produced by Azerbaijan’s Cinex Productions and Ultra Production, Cyprus’s Highbit Media and Ukraine’s Evos Film.