I Don’t Beg Much but…
If you live in San Francisco, please see Duma at the Balboa. Duma is the little movie that could, given a death sentence by its studio as “uncommercial”, given respite by a great review from Roger Ebert and a handful of movie theatres that have stuck by it. Bravo to Gary Meyer and the Balboa for their support. Suzan and I went to a 2:40 Sunday show and the joint was packed.
Duma (Swahili for “cheetah”) is the story of a cheetah cub raised by a South African family. When Duma grows up, the son Xan decided to return him to the wild.
What follows is an adventure pretty much like The Black Stallion in reverse or Fly Away Home straight on(directed, like Duma, by Carol Ballard). These are all great films, beautifully photographed, about animals without being cutesy, “family friendly” without insulting their audiences.
I’ve been thinking about Duma all day. If I drove past the Balboa, I’d have trouble not buying a ticket. If you offered, I’d be out the door before you stopped speaking.
So see Duma. You will not be sorry. According to this review, it’s getting a wider release this Friday.
Plus Duma looks mad cool in a hat.