Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight is a new South African drama that initially premiered at last year’s Telluride Film Festival & Toronto International Film Festival, and will premiere in theaters July 11th. Written & directed by Embeth Davidtz, the film stars Lexi Venter, Embeth Davidtz, Zikhona Bali, Fumani Shilubana, Rob Van Vuuren, and Anina Reed. Growing up in the midst of the Zimbabwean War for independence, 8-year-old Bobo internalizes both sides of the struggle. Conflicted by her love for people on opposing sides, she tries to make sense of her life in a magical way.

I am typically good when it comes to all new releases, especially the smaller indies, which makes this one a shocker. I knew nothing about it and the title certainly made me question if I should even watch it. Seeing that this was going to be distributed from Sony Pictures Classics and the fact that I have reviewed every one that has come my way made this the sole reason I had to check it out. Considering the film is releasing the same day Superman releases, I figured some sort of coverage on the film might sway viewers to either check this one out or do a double feature with Superman. If you have the opportunity, check this one out. This is a daring film that rarely gets made anymore.

The way the film functions reminds me a lot of myself as a kid. There is a sort of innocence when you are a kid as you see things for what they are. You have no prejudice against people. That’s what makes Bobo such a compelling character. Lexi Venter doesn’t just turn in one of the best performances of the year – she turns in one of the best young performances I have ever seen. There is a lot of confidence in her character that requires her to simply study the characters around her, which evokes even more than just her dialogue.

The sole lead performance with Venter comes directly from the kind of performance writer, director, and supporting actress Embeth Davidtz is able to pull out of her. When you first see Bobo riding on a dirt bike, all I can think about was how dangerous it is for someone so young to be on a motorized vehicle, especially for a production. Yet, Davidtz helps bring authenticity to her performance, especially within this world.

The film takes place in 1980, and you can get the sense of how timeless the film still is. Coming from someone in the United States in 2025, there is still some comparisons to the film’s time and place. You start to realize the racial prejudice’s you’ve been taught that occurred in the U.S. were also universal. While the film is a based on a memoir, I could still understand Bobo’s motivations as someone who has love for those around her, but realizing there’s still panic in those same people. It does make you wonder if she may become the same person when she grow up, which is part of the sole problem in the film.

Running at about 99 minutes, the film offers a strong start to the story, establishing the core conflict and what the film is all about. By the time the second half hits, you can get the sense where the film is leaving out some core things, leading to a resolution that doesn’t feel fully realized. It ends on a bittersweet note, but the amount of conflicts that are brought up are not fully resolved. While it can offer deeply thematic material that makes you ponder on what you just saw, it did leave me wanting more out of it.

The film still manages to tell something unique through the lens of what the cinematography has to offer. The way the camera manages to focus so much from Bobo’s perspective offers commendable work. Even the way it can keep up with the main character helps the viewer feel more immersed into the story and relating more with the character. For a smaller indie like this, you don’t typically see cinematography going the extra mile to help it look and feel different.

As for a smaller nitpick I have with the film, I feel like rewatching this with subtitles with the English language would have helped as I wasn’t able to with my screening. Understanding more on what the characters were saying would help get clarity on some things. Considering how in tune I felt with the characters and the story, this is one of the rarest of cases where subtitles throughout would have helped, at least for me.

Overall, Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight offers strong performances particularly from Lexi Venter. Embeth Davidtz shows real promise as a director based on the performances she’s able to pull out, including her own. The film gives you plenty to think about in terms of how much we have lost our way from being young kids, but it may leave you wanting more out of the story in the end.

VERDICT: 3.5/5 (Pretty Good)