Duma: what age is it for?
9YRS
In France, zinema would say 8.
Alone, or with you
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not yetwith an adult, or to talk about afteralone
Alone from 9; from 8, with an adult or by talking about it afterwards.
What it's about
An orphaned cheetah becomes the best friend and pet of a young boy living in South Africa.
Why 9
- A father's death, and a son who leaves aloneXan's father falls ill in the first quarter, and his death is understood from one question: where is Dad? The whole film carries that grief, the farm rented out, the city, the new school. Then Xan takes his father's motorcycle to bring Duma back to the wild, alone, at twelve, across the desert.shown
- A journey full of real perilsThe salt desert with no water, an old mine collapsing on Rip, crocodiles at the river crossing, lions prowling at night, tsetse flies that make Rip very sick, a poacher's trap for Duma. Nothing bloody, but the fear is real and the nights are dark.shown
- A stranger who might sell the cheetahRip, met in the desert, first works out what Duma would fetch from zoos; Xan answers that you do not sell a friend. The film turns it into a friendship, with a confession about prison and an abandoned family. At school, two older boys shake Xan down for his father's gift.said
What the movie brings
- The Kalahari, the Okavango and a real cheetah, no effects
- Giving a friend back his freedom: the real subject, told without syrup
- One simple idea to take home: people leave when they are ready, not when you are
Watching it together
Before
The father's death, never shown but everywhere, and the crocodile river crossing. With you, 7 works very well.
After
at 9 and up
Should you set free someone you would rather keep?
See the facts
Long dark scenes, night, storm●●● · shownmeasured
A character in danger●●○ · saidmeasured
Abandonment, separation, confinement●●○ · shownmeasured
Brands, products, merchandising : Land Rover●●○ · shownmeasured
Death of a character●●○ · shownmeasured
Disaster, destruction, war●●○ · shownmeasured
Fighting, brawls●●○ · shownmeasured
Fugue, enfant parti seul●●○ · saidmeasured
Grief, sorrow●●○ · saidmeasured
Kissing, romantic gestures●●○ · shownmeasured
Mental distress, depression, anxiety●●○ · saidmeasured
Mockery, humiliation, bullying●●○ · saidmeasured
Pace●●○ · shownmeasured
Smoking●●○ · shownmeasured
Tense music or sound●●○ · shownmeasured
A weapon shown or used●○○ · shownmeasured
Alcohol●○○ · shownmeasured
Creature, monster, strong villain●○○ · shownmeasured
Cruelty, torture, abuse●○○ · saidmeasured
Density of dialogue●○○ · shownmeasured
Frightening imagery●○○ · shownmeasured
Jump scares●○○ · shownmeasured
A zinema reading from September 9, 2026 · the whole movie, watched in full · the age by zinema's rules for the US and France, and a human reading · report an error · how this guide is made