Embeth Davidtz transitions from actress to director with 'Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight,' adapting Alexandra Fuller's memoir over eight years. Set in war-torn Rhodesia/Zimbabwe in 1980, the film immerses viewers in a family's struggle amidst civil war. By centering on the eight-year-old Bobo, Davidtz links the narrative to her own life experiences in South Africa. The film received critical acclaim at festivals, praised for its visual richness and depth, reflecting on themes of childhood and cultural conflict.
Davidtz felt compelled to adapt Fuller's memoir herself. 'It's such a mirror image of my own [life],' she told IndieWire. 'The reason I fell in love with the story was because, even the child that I found to play Bobo looked like me at that age.'
The film, while based on Fuller's life, is also rooted in Davidtz's experience moving to South Africa at the same age, and confronting a baffling, racist culture.
The final result, which debuted to raves at the Telluride and Toronto festivals last fall, is a detailed, specific, visually rich, and immersive dive into a time and place: war-torn Rhodesia/Zimbabwe in 1980.
By focusing on the Rhodesian farm girl, Davidtz found herself, too.
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