In 1980’s Rhodesia (now known as Zimbabwe), Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight follows the election as it pits the white land owners against the majority African landowners. In the middle of it is a young girl named Bobo, whose mom Nicola is determined to find any way to keep their land as the end of colonial rule seems more and more likely.

The film is grounded in the young girl’s perspective. Although she’s naive, this point of view carries a lot of empathy as we see her excitement for life. Through her eyes, we see the dangers and conflict that colonialism created and the effects of it that last through multiple generations of people who help enforce it, even as it becomes the beginning of their own end. While holding the perspective of the occupier, the film admirably tries to give an honest and joyful depiction of the native people who start to become free from colonial rule. As Bobo herself begins to poke into the idea of identity and race, slowly she begins to ignore the barriers and the ideas that keep people separate and in conflict. She begins to embrace friendship and openness as she becomes closer to Sarah and Jacob, the native people who work for Bobo and her mother.

Dogs SD29 Scenes: 19, 21, 23pt1, 23pt2

In some ways, Dogs reminds me of To Kill a Mockingbird where the prejudice of her time is slowly lifted from her, except that her parents are also very much trying to hold onto their way of life. The film makes the bolder decisions to humanize every character by not creating a clear villain, except what divides us and perhaps the institutions that would establish conflict and inequality as the way to run a country or a household. It aims to show the true darkness that emerges from a turnover and how much it costs both to run and take down a system like colonialism. It hurts those who chose to believe in it, making them do things that maybe they would not in other situations.

In short, it brings out the worst in people.

As such, Dogs shows the rapid changes of political systems in a colonial country and the conflict that results from it. It uses a very realistic and grounded cinematography style, never using dramatic light, angles or frames. Instead, the film varyies lenses to capture the personal details of characters, their living space and the grandness of the landscape to show all that is being fought for.

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Unfortunately, the screenplay lacks urgency as the election that should be the catalyst looms in the background for many, many scenes. While it seems to affect some of the small choices of the characters, it never establishes itself as the central cause of the film’s events. Rather, it sticks to its source material, picking out scenes from this memoir and time that attempts to convey the relationship dynamics and community conflict. As a result, the film requires investment in characters without clear things to hope for them through the first hour. Eventually, the story does give us interesting situations towards the last 30 minutes but the wait for this part lacks a strong hook.

Dogs does boast some admirable lead child performances. Conveying both the darkness that a young child’s wrought upbringing and naivete would create, she remains firm as the character straight from a novel, full of honestly and energy. This does allow both the darkness and light of childhood to come through in the tale’s depiction of a family and community of white settlers falling apart as their hope dissolves. What’s more, director Embeth Davidtz lead role does a wonderful job as the mother who, in the latter half, gives a heartbreaking and emotional juggernaut performance befitting the breakdown and mania that she experiences as her personal losses couple with the political losses and push her towards nihilism.

Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight is in theatres on Friday, July 18th, 2025.