Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight lays its hopes on the shoulders of a child actor to tell a story that requires the utmost nuance, and from the first moments, it works. Both a historical drama and a uniquely personal story of a young girl forming her idenтιтy against the backdrop of war, colonization, and a family that’s falling apart, Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight takes its time developing the narrative. However, this never prevents the film from grabbing us тιԍнтly and holding our attention until the end.
Loosely based on the memoir of the same name by the real Alexandra Fuller, the film chronicles the experiences of the white Fuller family at the end of the Rhodesian Bush War. As the country became Zimbabwe and regained independence from the United Kingdom, the young Alexandra deals with a dysfunctional and bigoted family. Directed by and starring Embeth Davidtz as the matriarch, Nicola Fuller, the movie is Davidtz’s feature debut. What she crafts is something imperfect, but as nuanced as a discussion of this topic from the white perspective can be.
Lexi Venter Gives An Incredible Performance In Don’t Let’s Go To The Dogs Tonight
As The Young Bobo, Venter Anchors A Complex Story With Ease
As Alexandra “Bobo” Fuller, the young Lexi Venter gives a nuanced and moving performance, demonstrating a wisdom and awareness far beyond her years. Without the actress as Bobo, Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight would fail almost instantly. Instead, it soars with the childlike wonder and love that pours from Venter, as well as the learned behaviors of privilege and enтιтlement that threatened to corrupt the innocence of childhood. However, in Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight, this was marred long ago.
The choice to tell the story through Bobo’s eyes was the only way the narrative could work. If we saw the world from the perspective of her parents, or even her older sister, the darkness would be all-consuming. However, in some ways, the soft, gentle moments when Bobo explores the land with so much interest and adventure only juxtapose the intense violence of her place there even more sharply. It’s a difficult position the film must work overtime to find, and the results are worth it.
As the adults around her cling to their wrongly held beliefs and are able to better live in the delusions they’ve created, the young Bobo is the voice asking the basic but uncomfortable questions about what exactly they’re doing on this land that’s so contested. What Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight does so well is show Bobo as a voice of some dissent from her parents’ perspective, as well as a child who has already had the discriminatory and racist beliefs of her upbringing hammered into her, creating the next generation of colonizers.
She’s a tragic figure, made even more sad by the fact that the affection she has doesn’t have a place in her world.
Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight is limited by its point of view, but it’s clear that Davidtz is aware of her obstacles as a director and writer in touching upon the experience of Black Zimbabweans. She can only bring to life the story in front of her with as much awareness as she can, and it’s admirable. The Fullers are unquestionably the villains of the story, but Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight doesn’t let this prevent the story from building empathy for them.
The grief hanging over the narrative of the lost children and Nicola’s inability to connect with her family make these characters multidimensional. While Bobo’s father and sister can sometimes fall into the background of the narrative, this makes sense for her story, as she’s focused desperately on chasing the love that her mother will never give her. She’s a tragic figure, made even more sad by the fact that the affection she has doesn’t have a place in her world; Bobo and her family show us there are no winners in the violence perpetuated by white settlers.
Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight reminds the viewer of the reality of the colonizer. The Fullers aren’t particularly wealthy or powerful, but they cling to the belief that the land they’ve stolen is somehow rightfully theirs and that they fought for it. While we witness the story unfold from Bobo’s perspective, it’s the damaged and cruel Nicola who’s the most interesting to watch. Though she’s the most outright in her racism, she’s the most dynamic character besides Bobo, who follows her every move as sharply as the audience does.
Davidtz’s Direction Uplifts The Careful Balance Of The Story’s Tone & Themes
Don’t Let’s Go To The Dogs Tonight Uses Its Steady Pace To Its Advantage
Even for audiences who aren’t aware of the historical context, it’s clear from the first moments of the film that there’s only one way the story will end. The movie depicts an empire gasping its dying breaths, and showcases how, when the illusion of control slips from the grasp of families like the Fullers, they grab on more тιԍнтly. Though the story only adapts a portion of Fuller’s memoir, it’s the perfect window into Bobo’s life and explores the conflicting events, perspectives, and relationships that will form the kind of adult she’ll turn out to be.
A lot happens in the тιԍнт runtime of the narrative, and a lesser project might have rushed through the slow, atmospheric moments that build out Bobo’s experience so well. As sharp moments of unforgettable violence bring both Bobo and the audience back to the reality of her position in the world, the viewer will wonder if the girl will continue down the path laid for her by her parents and culture. Don’t Let’s Go To The Dogs Tonight lets us know she’s full of love, but never pretends that she can be separated from the lessons she’s learning.
Don’t Let’s Go To The Dogs Tonight will be available to watch in theaters on July 11, 2025.
