Review of Duma (2005) by John A — 23 Apr 2008

The story of a how a young boy releases his cheetah friend back into the wild could very well be scoffed at for being clichéd and stereotypically heart-warming and sentimentalised, but 'Duma' avoids that category so easily you rarely focus on the direction of the simple, yet effective story it is.

Alexander Michaletos plays Xan, the youth in question, who after a life changing incident decides it is time to let go of his faithful friend. Of course, what follows is a life changing journey too, and he and Duma certainly fall foul of a few dangers here and there.

The film never pays these too much focus or attention though, and this is what ensures the screenplay is played out on a human level of depth and understanding. The direction captures some wonderful scenery shots of wild Africa, almost transporting us to the luxurious, natural setting, and we never doubt the intense and genuine relationship we are witnessing is real, the friendship one of the most adoring screen ones I have seen - I was surprised to learn, but admired the fact that no mechanics or CGI were used to bring the cheetah to life - what you see truly is reality.

'Duma' is never melodramatic, the message not at all preachy or suffocating and the story has a true, raw power; a family film it may be, but the director never shies away from the cruelty of nature, nor the sadness of loss - the film's sense of reality is consistent throughout.

'Duma' is an intelligent and thoughtful picture, with realistic characters, strong, interesting dialogue and a worthwhile message you don't doubt for a second.