“From Reality to Fantasy” | Embeth Davidtz, Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight
A potent, moving adaptation of Alexandra Fuller’s memoir about growing up in the Rhodesian civil war, Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight follows 8-year-old Bobo, who lives on her family farm in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) at the end of the Zimbabwean War for independence.
Growing up in the midst of this long running war, 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. Through her 8-year-old gaze, we witness Rhodesia’s final days, the family’s unbreakable bond with Africa, and the deep scars that war leaves on survivors.
Screening Saturday, May 3, at 11:30 a.m., at the Music Box Theatre, as part of the Chicago Critics Film Festival, Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight was written and directed by Embeth Davidtz in her feature debut. Known for her roles in Schindler’s List and Junebug, Davidtz also stars as the mother of the main character (Fuller’s on-screen surrogate).
Ahead of the screening, Davidtz graciously took the time to answer this year’s CCFF filmmaker questionnaire. Below, her individual responses.
How did you first become interested in filmmaking? What was your path toward directing your first film?
I optioned Alexandra Fuller’s memoir with the intention of developing a movie in order to play the part of her mother. When I couldn’t find a writer who really “got" what I wanted to do with the script, I decided to try writing it myself.
Similarly, when the time came to find a director, I felt that I had figured out during the writing what the film needed in terms of directing; so, I decided I should take the risk of tackling it myself.
It was a very circuitous path leading to a happy accident. In the end—ironically—the acting became the least compelling part of it for me.
What inspired you to make the film you're bringing to the festival?
I fell in love with Alexandra Fuller’s memoir. Specifically the character of her younger self, Bobo. I loved her spunky intelligence, but was shocked at her open racism (behavior learned from the adults around her). I felt that focusing on her inner world through voice-over would be an effective way to tunnel into the themes of racism and White Supremacy. Fuller's description of her Zimbabwean childhood mirrored much of what I had experienced as a child living in South Africa during Apartheid. I think the strong urge to tell the story came from somehow trying to make sense of or exorcise those memories.
Tell us about a film that you consider a guiding influence (whether it has informed your overarching vision as a filmmaker, directly informed the title you're bringing to the festival, or both).
I loved Spielberg’s film Empire of the Sun. I think that Spielberg captured in the young boy played by Christian Bale the innocence and impressionability of childhood. It also captured the carelessness of the adults around him. His journey through the movie changes his worldview. In that beautiful last shot of his eyes over his mother’s shoulder, you can see the reflection of all of his suffering and his now altered consciousness.
Tell us about a location that's held significance to the film you're bringing to the festival: a setting where filming took place, a geographic area that provided a source of inspiration, or another type of space that comes to mind for you in thinking about the film. What made this place so special?
I chose a section of deserted road for the last scene of the film, and spent a lot of time figuring out the exact spot to film the sunset sequence.
We had to calculate where the sun would set on the horizon at that time of year and the precise time of sunset, so that I could get the flare from the sun that I needed to transition into the moment of magical reality when Bobo sees Sarah. I wanted the quality of the light to be very specific, but most of all I needed the last rays of the sun to serve as an editing point to transition from reality to fantasy.
We were so fortunate with the weather, it held through the shoot until this, the second to last day. I was watching the monitor and I knew the instant that we had the shot. The light hit at exactly the right time. That night, a storm system moved in bringing two weeks of torrential rain. We were so unbelievably lucky!
The theatrical experience brings us together to celebrate artistic experience and expand our horizons as human beings. Tell us about a memorable theatrical experience.
When I was living in South Africa in the late ‘70s, I was taken on a school history trip to see Dr. Zhivago. I remember leaving the theatre stunned by what I had experienced. The magic of story and cinematography and score all combined to transport me from that small rural cinema to another world altogether. My entire universe expanded in that moment, and I think it was the beginning of my creative journey as an actor and storyteller.