Duma movie review & film summary (2005)
How is this film possible? There are shots showing a desert empty to the horizon, except for the boy and the cheetah. No doubt handlers are right there out of camera range, ready to act in an emergency, but it is clear the filmmakers and the boy trust the animals they are working with.
True, cheetahs are a special kind of big cat; Wikipedia informs us, "Because cheetahs are far less aggressive than other big cats, cubs are sometimes sold as pets." Yes, but a pet that can, as Xan tells his dad (Campbell Scott) "outrun your Porsche." A pet that is a carnivore. It would seem that Duma can be trusted, but as W. G. Sebald once observed, "Men and animals regard each other across a gulf of mutual incomprehension."
And if Duma can be trusted, can the African man, Ripkuna? Where is he leading them? He must know that a reward has been posted for the missing boy, and that a tame cheetah can be sold for a good amount of money. While these questions circle uneasily in our minds, "Duma" creates scenes of wonderful adventure. The stalled motorcycle is turned into a wind-driven land yacht. A raft trip on a river involves rapids and crocodiles. The cheetah itself plays a role in their survival. And the movie takes on an additional depth because Xan is not a cute one-dimensional "family movie" child, and Ripkuna is freed from the usual cliches about noble and helpful wanderers. These are characters free to hold surprises in the real world.
Watching this movie, absorbed by its storytelling, touched by its beauty, fascinated by the bond between the boy and the animal, I was also astonished by something else: The studio does not know if it is commercial! The most dismal stupidities can be inflicted on young audiences, but let a family movie come along that is ambitious and visionary, and distributors lose confidence. It's as if they fear some movies are better than the audience can handle.
"Duma" has had test runs in the Southwest. Now it opens in Chicago, and the box office performance here will decide its fate. That is not a reason to see it. Moviegoers do not buy tickets to "support" a movie, nor should they. The reason to see "Duma" is that it's an extraordinary film, and intelligent younger viewers in particular may be enthralled by it.
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