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Must Go!
Avg. Critic Score: 82 out of 100 Universal acclaim Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
8 OK for kids 8+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 90
    Variety | Scott Foundas

    A superior all-ages adventure pic made by a filmmaker who knows more than a thing or two about the genre. Read full review

  • 90
    Los Angeles Times | Kenneth Turan

    Enormously entertaining. Read full review

  • 88
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    This is precisely the kind of film that parents clamor for and rarely get: a substantive, stirring, Huck Finn-style saga that doesn't insult anyone's intelligence or mindlessly entertain with crass humor. Read full review

  • 88
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    An astonishing film. Read full review

  • 80
    Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern

    Duma is not a masterpiece, but its deficits recede into insignificance once you open yourself to the movie's mystery and visual splendor. Read full review

  • 80
    The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt

    A newcomer to film, Michaletos grew up on a farm with cheetahs, so he can act natural around the animals while making this Huck Finn-like character more than credible. Read full review

  • 80
    Washington Post | Philip Kennicott

    Documentary makers struggle for this effect -- a feeling for the land that is both grand and unsentimental. The makers of Duma, a fable fit for children, have found it. Read full review

  • 80
    The New York Times | Manohla Dargis

    A soulful, piercingly beautiful story. Read full review

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle | Walter Addiego

    A superior adventure film with a poetic heart. Read full review

  • 75
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    Ballard connects you to the beauteous inner calm of the wild, even if audiences today are looking for a lot less calm. Read full review

View more reviews for Duma on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 8+ Enchanting coming-of-age story for kids.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that the father in the film dies, and that one character almost dies twice. This may upset more sensitive viewers. The main character has to deal with his father's death, moving to a new town, enrolling in a new school, and letting go of his favorite pet -- stressful situations for any kid. The film may inspire young animal lovers to ask if they can have a cheetah or other wild animal for a pet. The main character also runs away from home to return his cheetah to the wild and befriends a stranger.
  • Families can talk about family members who have died and how they remember them. What do you do when you have to let go of someone or something you love? 
  • The film may inspire kids to read the book upon which it's based, How It Was With Dooms, or to learn more about Africa's people and wildlife. A trip to the zoo might be in order. They may also want to talk about Xan's decisions. Would you run away from home? Would you talk to a stranger?
  • Would there be another way to get Duma released to the wild?
The good stuff
  • message true3 Positive messages: The importance of family, love, and remembering those who have died are primary themes. A bully makes an anti-gay joke just before attempting to attack Xan.
  • rolemodels true4 Positive role models: Xan is a brave, strong, and loyal young child on an adventure that includes some truly perilous situations.
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence and scariness: Frightening situations and peril, one man almost dies in quicksand, insects nearly sting a man to death.
  • sex false0 Sexy stuff: Not an issue
  • language false0 Language: Not an issue
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false0 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Not an issue
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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