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Duma…A wonderful family movie

By George O. Singleton

Xan (young newcomer Alex Michaeletos) is a boy living on a farm in South Africa with his parents Kristin and Peter (Hope Davis of "American Splendor," and Campbell Scott from "Roger Dodger"). Dad and Xan rescue an orphaned cheetah, Duma, and bring him into their home as a pet. His father tells Xan that at some point, if the animal is to survive in the wild, they’ll have to choose the proper time to let him go.

The story, about the relationship between Xan and Duma, realistically portrays how they both must mature as they face challenges that come with the passage of time. Xan is close to both of his parents but when his father becomes seriously ill and eventually dies, life is no longer a fairy tale.

In both this film and the audience and critical favorite "Fly Away Home" (about a 14-year-old girl and orphaned geese who have lost their way), director Carroll Ballard introduces us to children and adults who look at life with a delightfully youthful eye. Carroll was in town recently to promote the film, which opens exclusively in Chicago on August 5^th. This is a wonderful family film that deals realistically with loss and separation.

George Singleton: The wildlife (in the film) is so abundant I am curious to know if the photography was done in multiple locations?

Carroll Ballard: They were in different parts of South Africa but everything was shot within a tight time frame of 60 days. The animal life is as abundant as it appears in the film.

GS: The film says that a cheetah can go from 0-60 in 2 seconds and reach a top speed of 70 mph. Is that really true?

Carroll: You bet! We got the cheetah photographed up close running full speed by using antelope bait hanging from a pole in an adjacent vehicle. You’ll notice that the cheetah and the people are not in the same frame. We were able to edit it so that it looked that way. That was a great scene.

GS: How did you get the cheetah to chase the deer? That looked so realistic.

Carroll: We used different animals for different scenes. The Duma in the scenes with Xan was actually a pet of his. He got the part because he was the only person that auditioned that was a natural with the animals. In the deer scene, that was another cheetah that was in the wild. It was the real thing.

GS: What are your thoughts on live actor family message films as compared to animated ones like "Madagascar" and "The Incredibles"?

Carroll: While I’m not against animated films, I do believe strongly that certain emotions can be conveyed with live children actors that will connect with kids in ways that fantasy cannot.

Throughout life, we continue to struggle with the concepts of forgiveness and letting go. "Duma" introduces that concept to children in a positive and realistic way. This thinking person’s family film is initially being released only in a few theaters in Chicago. If it does well on opening weekend, August 5-7, it will open in more theaters. If this film sounds interesting to you, I urge you to see it next weekend. It deserves your support if you believe it’s important to not be limited only to animated and blow ‘em up films for your children. Like most fast food that’s fine sometime no one wants it every day.

george@reelmoviecritic.com