DON’T LET’S GO TO THE DOGS TONIGHT
(Check out Chris Reeds’s Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight movie review, it’s in theaters now. Seen it? Join the conversation with HtN on our Letterboxd Page.)
Actress Embeth Davidtz makes her debut as writer and director with her adaptation of Alexandra Fuller’s 2002 memoir, Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight (the title apparently comes from a quote by writer AP Herbert that reads “’Don’t let’s go to the dogs tonight, for mother will be there”). In the eponymous movie, Davidtz (Retribution) plays the main character’s mother, as well. The story takes place in 1980 as Rhodesia—now Zimbabwe—prepares for independence from Great Britain with the election of Robert Mugabe as Prime Minister.
In Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight, the focus is on young “Bobo” (Lexi Venter)—the author as a child—an 8-year-old daughter of a white settler family. She understands little of the politics and only something of the emotional turmoil of those around her, including that of her parents’ African employees. Through her innocent eyes, Davidtz explores the violence and racism of the colonial enterprise and its collateral damage (including sexual assault on a minor).
Bobo has an older sister, Vanessa (Anina Reed)—or “Van”—who is on the cusp of adulthood and eager to get out of their provincial backwater and have something exciting happen to her. The matriarch of the family, Nicola, is an alcoholic who does not handle unfolding events well. In her performance, Davidtz showcases the mother’s increasing paranoia and mental breakdown in dramatic fashion. The father, Tim (Rob Van Vuuren) is at a loss. He knows he should sell the farm and get out, but his wife is dead set against it.
Bobo’s favorite person is Sarah (Zikhona Bali), the Fullers’ African housekeeper who is her only real friend, though the relationship is complicated by impending revolution. Local activists view Sarah with suspicion, and her colleague Jacob (Fumani Shilubana) warns her not to get too close to the white girl. It’s hard to turn down someone with such raw need, however.
Davidtz proves more than capable behind the camera, showing impressive restraint with many of the potentially overwrought moments. Even better, she directs Venter with real skill; the girl brings a seemingly wild lack of discipline to Bobo’s antics that works in perfect harmony to the rapidly escalating tensions. Cinematographer Willie Nel (Rise: The Siya Kolisi Story) delivers images at once stunning and eerie, especially at night.
It’s a complex narrative, and to its credit the movie avoids reductive characterizations, even as it leans into its criticisms of British rule. Nevertheless, given the source material, Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight cannot but help prioritize the white experience at the expense of Africans’ self-determination, giving the film a slightly dated feel, as if from the era when it takes place. That caveat aside, it’s a strong effort and a thoroughly engaging watch.
– Christopher Llewellyn Reed (@ChrisReedFilm)
Embeth Davidtz; Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight movie review
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