I've been using the Django ORM for years and it feels like an amazing piece of software.

But recently I started using sqlc. Which turns my queries into Go (simplification). I think this is actually the sweet spot between ORM and rawdogging SQL.

Django ORM is great if you want it to manage your entire data model and are OK with living entirely within it's little world. But it can't support even basic stuff like composite primary keys, complex filters in a join clause, or any kind of lateral joins at all. It's also among the biggest offenders at hidden (and explosive) N+1s all over your codebase and templates unless you pay very special care. Also, the SQL it generates is usually very naive and often-times just not even performant.