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Hindustan Times
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Embeth Davidtz drew on her childhood in Africa to adapt Alexandra Fuller's memoir
In 1974, when it seemed as though everyone was leaving South Africa, Embeth Davidtz's family was going back. Embeth Davidtz drew on her childhood in Africa to adapt Alexandra Fuller's memoir Davidtz, a familiar presence in films and television for over 30 years with memorable roles in everything from 'Schindler's List' to 'Matilda,' was born in the United States to white, South African parents. When she was 8, they decided to return during a time of upheaval. Although the transition from 'innocent New Jersey' was hard, it was also a life-making, character- and imagination-building experience that she's still processing to this day. It's where she grew up. It's where she began acting. And it's where she'd return decades later to direct her first film, 'Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight,' a poetic and deeply personal adaptation of Alexandra Fuller's memoir about growing up during the Bush War in Zimbabwe, which was then Rhodesia. The film, which was widely praised at the Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals for its deft handling of complex themes and for the discovery of young newcomer Lexi Venter, opens Friday in limited release and expands nationwide July 18. 'The sun rises and sets on her writing,' Davidtz said in an interview with The Associated Press. 'If anything works, it's because of that memoir.' Like so many people, especially those who lived in Africa in the 1970s and '80s, Davidtz devoured the book when it came out in 2001. But it would take more than 15 years to start seriously thinking about a film. Davidtz was refocusing after a little hiatus from acting: She'd survived breast cancer, raised children and was reflecting on parts of the book she loved, like Fuller's mother, a complex figure who struggled with trauma, alcohol and mental health. Davidtz, who is now 59, could have hardly predicted that this journey would lead to her writing, directing and producing her first feature as well. 'It felt like an imperative. It felt like a call,' she said. 'Once I dug my teeth into this, I felt like I couldn't not tell it.' The adaptation was slow-going but rewarding as Davidtz sprinkled some of her own stories and recollections in and the focus and structure of the story started to reveal itself. A pivotal revelation came four years in: It had to be from the child's point of view. 'I wasn't thinking about directing it, but at the end, I thought, you know what? I know what kind of shots I like. I know what sort of films I like. I could shoot this so simply,' she said. 'I need to take control of this because if I give it away to someone else, they're not going to tell the story that I'm trying to tell.' Davidtz was inspired by Terrence Malick films like 'Badlands' and 'Days of Heaven,' and the young girls' narrations, as well as Steven Spielberg's 'Empire of the Sun,' in which the end of a colonial regime is seen through the eyes of a young, white boy. 'People say, 'Oh, voiceover is so lazy,'' Davidtz said. 'But with a child you hear the quirks, you hear the offbeat, you hear what is wrong and the point of view that is skewed.' To play Bobo, the 8-year-old center of the film, Davidtz did not want a polished child actor. She wanted a real kid — a wild, little barefoot child, unspoiled and unsophisticated, who could maybe ride a motorbike. They eventually resorted to a Facebook post which led them to Venter, age 7. 'It was such a project of love and torture,' she said. 'It was so very hard to direct a 7-year-old who doesn't act.' Venter wasn't given a script. Davidtz instead played games, would give her some lines to say and then pour through the footage to find the most unfiltered moments to sprinkle into the film with the overlaying voiceover — a yawn, the picking of a wedgie, the things kids just do. 'I got a few gray hairs from that, but I love her. She's perfect,' Davidtz said. 'I worry that I have brought her into the world in a way that, cinematically, people will seek her out. I want her to be left to be the wild little creature that she is.' Filming took place in South Africa as Zimbabwe was too unstable and didn't have the infrastructure for film. And Davidtz filled the production with an entirely South African crew and cast, including Zikhona Bali as Sarah, who works for Bobo's family. Authenticity was paramount to Davidtz, from the music to the props and costumes, many of which she sourced herself, including a tattered silk robe she found on eBay. 'I remember someone saying, why don't you cast Morgan Freeman and bring him out. I said, 'No, it's got to be the real thing. It's got to be the real people,'' she said. 'Everyone carries the burden of what was there.' She's acutely aware that South Africa is not Zimbabwe and the dismantling of white rule differed in each, but there are similarities, too. It allowed her to ask questions about what happens to children surrounded by violence and generational racism through Bobo's lens. Though she worried about the optics of telling the story from a white child's point of view, she also didn't waver. 'That's what I remember and that's what I saw,' she said. 'There's a way of informing and telling what you saw that can teach. My connection to my past, as risky as it was, there was nothing to be lost.' Early audiences seem to be receiving it the way she hoped. For Davidtz, it hardly matters what happens now — awards, box office, whatever. 'I don't think I was ever the wisest person about what I would choose material-wise or business-wise,' she said. 'But it's so great that I, at almost 60, got this chance to do this. Whatever ends up happening, it got made. That's a miracle.' This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
San Francisco Chronicle
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Embeth Davidtz drew on her childhood in Africa to adapt Alexandra Fuller's memoir
In 1974, when it seemed as though everyone was leaving South Africa, Embeth Davidtz's family was going back. Davidtz, a familiar presence in films and television for over 30 years with memorable roles in everything from 'Schindler's List' to 'Matilda,' was born in the United States to white, South African parents. When she was 8, they decided to return during a time of upheaval. Although the transition from 'innocent New Jersey' was hard, it was also a life-making, character- and imagination-building experience that she's still processing to this day. It's where she grew up. It's where she began acting. And it's where she'd return decades later to direct her first film, 'Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight,' a poetic and deeply personal adaptation of Alexandra Fuller's memoir about growing up during the Bush War in Zimbabwe, which was then Rhodesia. The film, which was widely praised at the Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals for its deft handling of complex themes and for the discovery of young newcomer Lexi Venter, opens Friday in limited release and expands nationwide July 18. 'The sun rises and sets on her writing,' Davidtz said in an interview with The Associated Press. 'If anything works, it's because of that memoir.' Becoming a director in her mid-50s Like so many people, especially those who lived in Africa in the 1970s and '80s, Davidtz devoured the book when it came out in 2001. But it would take more than 15 years to start seriously thinking about a film. Davidtz was refocusing after a little hiatus from acting: She'd survived breast cancer, raised children and was reflecting on parts of the book she loved, like Fuller's mother, a complex figure who struggled with trauma, alcohol and mental health. Davidtz, who is now 59, could have hardly predicted that this journey would lead to her writing, directing and producing her first feature as well. 'It felt like an imperative. It felt like a call,' she said. 'Once I dug my teeth into this, I felt like I couldn't not tell it.' The adaptation was slow-going but rewarding as Davidtz sprinkled some of her own stories and recollections in and the focus and structure of the story started to reveal itself. A pivotal revelation came four years in: It had to be from the child's point of view. 'I wasn't thinking about directing it, but at the end, I thought, you know what? I know what kind of shots I like. I know what sort of films I like. I could shoot this so simply,' she said. 'I need to take control of this because if I give it away to someone else, they're not going to tell the story that I'm trying to tell.' Finding a real child, not a child actor Davidtz was inspired by Terrence Malick films like 'Badlands' and 'Days of Heaven,' and the young girls' narrations, as well as Steven Spielberg's 'Empire of the Sun,' in which the end of a colonial regime is seen through the eyes of a young, white boy. 'People say, 'Oh, voiceover is so lazy,'' Davidtz said. 'But with a child you hear the quirks, you hear the offbeat, you hear what is wrong and the point of view that is skewed.' To play Bobo, the 8-year-old center of the film, Davidtz did not want a polished child actor. She wanted a real kid — a wild, little barefoot child, unspoiled and unsophisticated, who could maybe ride a motorbike. They eventually resorted to a Facebook post which led them to Venter, age 7. 'It was such a project of love and torture,' she said. 'It was so very hard to direct a 7-year-old who doesn't act.' Venter wasn't given a script. Davidtz instead played games, would give her some lines to say and then pour through the footage to find the most unfiltered moments to sprinkle into the film with the overlaying voiceover — a yawn, the picking of a wedgie, the things kids just do. 'I got a few gray hairs from that, but I love her. She's perfect,' Davidtz said. 'I worry that I have brought her into the world in a way that, cinematically, people will seek her out. I want her to be left to be the wild little creature that she is.' A South African cast and crew Filming took place in South Africa as Zimbabwe was too unstable and didn't have the infrastructure for film. And Davidtz filled the production with an entirely South African crew and cast, including Zikhona Bali as Sarah, who works for Bobo's family. Authenticity was paramount to Davidtz, from the music to the props and costumes, many of which she sourced herself, including a tattered silk robe she found on eBay. 'I remember someone saying, why don't you cast Morgan Freeman and bring him out. I said, 'No, it's got to be the real thing. It's got to be the real people,'' she said. 'Everyone carries the burden of what was there.' She's acutely aware that South Africa is not Zimbabwe and the dismantling of white rule differed in each, but there are similarities, too. It allowed her to ask questions about what happens to children surrounded by violence and generational racism through Bobo's lens. Though she worried about the optics of telling the story from a white child's point of view, she also didn't waver. 'That's what I remember and that's what I saw,' she said. 'There's a way of informing and telling what you saw that can teach. My connection to my past, as risky as it was, there was nothing to be lost.' Early audiences seem to be receiving it the way she hoped. For Davidtz, it hardly matters what happens now — awards, box office, whatever. 'I don't think I was ever the wisest person about what I would choose material-wise or business-wise,' she said. 'But it's so great that I, at almost 60, got this chance to do this. Whatever ends up happening, it got made. That's a miracle.'
Hamilton Spectator
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Embeth Davidtz drew on her childhood in Africa to adapt Alexandra Fuller's memoir
In 1974, when it seemed as though everyone was leaving South Africa, Embeth Davidtz's family was going back. Davidtz, a familiar presence in films and television for over 30 years with memorable roles in everything from 'Schindler's List' to 'Matilda,' was born in the United States to white, South African parents. When she was 8, they decided to return during a time of upheaval. Although the transition from 'innocent New Jersey' was hard, it was also a life-making, character- and imagination-building experience that she's still processing to this day. It's where she grew up. It's where she began acting. And it's where she'd return decades later to direct her first film, 'Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight,' a poetic and deeply personal adaptation of Alexandra Fuller's memoir about growing up during the Bush War in Zimbabwe, which was then Rhodesia. The film, which was widely praised at the Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals for its deft handling of complex themes and for the discovery of young newcomer Lexi Venter, opens Friday in limited release and expands nationwide July 18. 'The sun rises and sets on her writing,' Davidtz said in an interview with The Associated Press. 'If anything works, it's because of that memoir.' Becoming a director in her mid-50s Like so many people, especially those who lived in Africa in the 1970s and '80s, Davidtz devoured the book when it came out in 2001. But it would take more than 15 years to start seriously thinking about a film. Davidtz was refocusing after a little hiatus from acting: She'd survived breast cancer, raised children and was reflecting on parts of the book she loved, like Fuller's mother, a complex figure who struggled with trauma, alcohol and mental health. Davidtz, who is now 59, could have hardly predicted that this journey would lead to her writing, directing and producing her first feature as well. 'It felt like an imperative. It felt like a call,' she said. 'Once I dug my teeth into this, I felt like I couldn't not tell it.' The adaptation was slow-going but rewarding as Davidtz sprinkled some of her own stories and recollections in and the focus and structure of the story started to reveal itself. A pivotal revelation came four years in: It had to be from the child's point of view. 'I wasn't thinking about directing it, but at the end, I thought, you know what? I know what kind of shots I like. I know what sort of films I like. I could shoot this so simply,' she said. 'I need to take control of this because if I give it away to someone else, they're not going to tell the story that I'm trying to tell.' Finding a real child, not a child actor Davidtz was inspired by Terrence Malick films like 'Badlands' and 'Days of Heaven,' and the young girls' narrations, as well as Steven Spielberg's 'Empire of the Sun,' in which the end of a colonial regime is seen through the eyes of a young, white boy. 'People say, 'Oh, voiceover is so lazy,'' Davidtz said. 'But with a child you hear the quirks, you hear the offbeat, you hear what is wrong and the point of view that is skewed.' To play Bobo, the 8-year-old center of the film, Davidtz did not want a polished child actor. She wanted a real kid — a wild, little barefoot child, unspoiled and unsophisticated, who could maybe ride a motorbike. They eventually resorted to a Facebook post which led them to Venter, age 7. 'It was such a project of love and torture,' she said. 'It was so very hard to direct a 7-year-old who doesn't act.' Venter wasn't given a script. Davidtz instead played games, would give her some lines to say and then pour through the footage to find the most unfiltered moments to sprinkle into the film with the overlaying voiceover — a yawn, the picking of a wedgie, the things kids just do. 'I got a few gray hairs from that, but I love her. She's perfect,' Davidtz said. 'I worry that I have brought her into the world in a way that, cinematically, people will seek her out. I want her to be left to be the wild little creature that she is.' A South African cast and crew Filming took place in South Africa as Zimbabwe was too unstable and didn't have the infrastructure for film. And Davidtz filled the production with an entirely South African crew and cast, including Zikhona Bali as Sarah, who works for Bobo's family. Authenticity was paramount to Davidtz, from the music to the props and costumes, many of which she sourced herself, including a tattered silk robe she found on eBay. 'I remember someone saying, why don't you cast Morgan Freeman and bring him out. I said, 'No, it's got to be the real thing. It's got to be the real people,'' she said. 'Everyone carries the burden of what was there.' She's acutely aware that South Africa is not Zimbabwe and the dismantling of white rule differed in each, but there are similarities, too. It allowed her to ask questions about what happens to children surrounded by violence and generational racism through Bobo's lens. Though she worried about the optics of telling the story from a white child's point of view, she also didn't waver. 'That's what I remember and that's what I saw,' she said. 'There's a way of informing and telling what you saw that can teach. My connection to my past, as risky as it was, there was nothing to be lost.' Early audiences seem to be receiving it the way she hoped. For Davidtz, it hardly matters what happens now — awards, box office, whatever. 'I don't think I was ever the wisest person about what I would choose material-wise or business-wise,' she said. 'But it's so great that I, at almost 60, got this chance to do this. Whatever ends up happening, it got made. That's a miracle.'
Winnipeg Free Press
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Embeth Davidtz drew on her childhood in Africa to adapt Alexandra Fuller's memoir
In 1974, when it seemed as though everyone was leaving South Africa, Embeth Davidtz's family was going back. Davidtz, a familiar presence in films and television for over 30 years with memorable roles in everything from 'Schindler's List' to 'Matilda,' was born in the United States to white, South African parents. When she was 8, they decided to return during a time of upheaval. Although the transition from 'innocent New Jersey' was hard, it was also a life-making, character- and imagination-building experience that she's still processing to this day. It's where she grew up. It's where she began acting. And it's where she'd return decades later to direct her first film, 'Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight,' a poetic and deeply personal adaptation of Alexandra Fuller's memoir about growing up during the Bush War in Zimbabwe, which was then Rhodesia. The film, which was widely praised at the Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals for its deft handling of complex themes and for the discovery of young newcomer Lexi Venter, opens Friday in limited release and expands nationwide July 18. 'The sun rises and sets on her writing,' Davidtz said in an interview with The Associated Press. 'If anything works, it's because of that memoir.' Becoming a director in her mid-50s Like so many people, especially those who lived in Africa in the 1970s and '80s, Davidtz devoured the book when it came out in 2001. But it would take more than 15 years to start seriously thinking about a film. Davidtz was refocusing after a little hiatus from acting: She'd survived breast cancer, raised children and was reflecting on parts of the book she loved, like Fuller's mother, a complex figure who struggled with trauma, alcohol and mental health. Davidtz, who is now 59, could have hardly predicted that this journey would lead to her writing, directing and producing her first feature as well. 'It felt like an imperative. It felt like a call,' she said. 'Once I dug my teeth into this, I felt like I couldn't not tell it.' The adaptation was slow-going but rewarding as Davidtz sprinkled some of her own stories and recollections in and the focus and structure of the story started to reveal itself. A pivotal revelation came four years in: It had to be from the child's point of view. 'I wasn't thinking about directing it, but at the end, I thought, you know what? I know what kind of shots I like. I know what sort of films I like. I could shoot this so simply,' she said. 'I need to take control of this because if I give it away to someone else, they're not going to tell the story that I'm trying to tell.' Finding a real child, not a child actor Davidtz was inspired by Terrence Malick films like 'Badlands' and 'Days of Heaven,' and the young girls' narrations, as well as Steven Spielberg's 'Empire of the Sun,' in which the end of a colonial regime is seen through the eyes of a young, white boy. 'People say, 'Oh, voiceover is so lazy,'' Davidtz said. 'But with a child you hear the quirks, you hear the offbeat, you hear what is wrong and the point of view that is skewed.' To play Bobo, the 8-year-old center of the film, Davidtz did not want a polished child actor. She wanted a real kid — a wild, little barefoot child, unspoiled and unsophisticated, who could maybe ride a motorbike. They eventually resorted to a Facebook post which led them to Venter, age 7. 'It was such a project of love and torture,' she said. 'It was so very hard to direct a 7-year-old who doesn't act.' Venter wasn't given a script. Davidtz instead played games, would give her some lines to say and then pour through the footage to find the most unfiltered moments to sprinkle into the film with the overlaying voiceover — a yawn, the picking of a wedgie, the things kids just do. 'I got a few gray hairs from that, but I love her. She's perfect,' Davidtz said. 'I worry that I have brought her into the world in a way that, cinematically, people will seek her out. I want her to be left to be the wild little creature that she is.' A South African cast and crew Filming took place in South Africa as Zimbabwe was too unstable and didn't have the infrastructure for film. And Davidtz filled the production with an entirely South African crew and cast, including Zikhona Bali as Sarah, who works for Bobo's family. Authenticity was paramount to Davidtz, from the music to the props and costumes, many of which she sourced herself, including a tattered silk robe she found on eBay. 'I remember someone saying, why don't you cast Morgan Freeman and bring him out. I said, 'No, it's got to be the real thing. It's got to be the real people,'' she said. 'Everyone carries the burden of what was there.' She's acutely aware that South Africa is not Zimbabwe and the dismantling of white rule differed in each, but there are similarities, too. It allowed her to ask questions about what happens to children surrounded by violence and generational racism through Bobo's lens. Though she worried about the optics of telling the story from a white child's point of view, she also didn't waver. 'That's what I remember and that's what I saw,' she said. 'There's a way of informing and telling what you saw that can teach. My connection to my past, as risky as it was, there was nothing to be lost.' Early audiences seem to be receiving it the way she hoped. For Davidtz, it hardly matters what happens now — awards, box office, whatever. 'I don't think I was ever the wisest person about what I would choose material-wise or business-wise,' she said. 'But it's so great that I, at almost 60, got this chance to do this. Whatever ends up happening, it got made. That's a miracle.'
Geek Vibes Nation
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Vibes Nation
'Don't Let's Go To The Dogs Tonight' Review - A Strong Adaptation Of An Award-Winning Memoir
Longtime actress Embeth Davidtz, known for her role as Mary Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man films, makes her directorial debut with Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight, a stunning adaptation of the award-winning memoir by Alexandra Fuller. The film follows the Fuller family in 1980 Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) during the latter stages of the Bush War. The film is primarily shown through the eyes of eight-year-old Bobo (Lexi Venter), with a large portion of the runtime being narrated by Bobo, and portrays a harrowing depiction of both her family life and the greater conflict of Rhodesia. The power of this film comes from writer-director and star Embeth Davidtz, who plays Bobo's increasingly alcoholic mother, Nicola. Her performance is incredibly impactful and shows that the ongoing conflict in Rhodesia isn't the only thing that the Fullers have to worry about. The Fullers live on a farm and struggle to get by as it is, let alone the threat of being ambushed on the road or running into the wrong people at the wrong time. Nicola, alongside her husband Tim (Rob van Vuuren), works at the police reserve in addition to tending to their farm, leaving little time to watch over Bobo and her siblings. Bobo develops a relationship with a Black family within walking distance from the Fullers' farm, barging in with no notice almost every day. Sarah (Zikhona Bali) and Jacob (Shilubana N. Fumani) oscillate between embracing her presence and becoming anxious about her visits. The racial barriers between them complicate what young Bobo considers to be a great friendship with their family. The tensions of this bond stretch and stretch as the film goes on, but Bobo's childlike wonder and innocence bring a sweet element to the bitter reality surrounding the situation. The movie is at its best when the characters are interacting, and it leans away from its child narrator. I understand the need to gain insight from the protagonist, but it takes away from the emotional journey the Fuller family and those around them are on together. The source material has a singular perspective, but it doesn't quite translate as well to the screen. The scope is almost too limited by this perspective, not offering a clearer view of the small world surrounding the Fullers, and little light is shed on the war as a whole. Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight is an incredibly faithful adaptation, but this is to the film's detriment. Even with the limited scope, the story packs a devastating punch. Bobo's adventures and continual turmoil highlight the effects of war on poor families like the Fullers. Her parents are anxious about the outcome of the war and putting food on the table, leaving Bobo to explore on her own. This can be dangerous and lead to some tense situations, but none more tense than being around her mother when she's at her worst. Davidtz's performance is heartbreaking and raw, begging the audience to empathize with her character. She adds nuance to a character that can often be one-note, just slurring words and stumbling around. Nicola is more than this, taking her drunken states to deep depression and anger indicative of more than just someone having a little too much to drink here and there. There's a particular scene where she and Tim are hanging out with some friends, and she turns on some music, dancing alone through the room as everyone else remains seated. As she dances, she pulls up her skirt a little too much for Tim's comfort, almost sinisterly daring him to do something about it. This small moment reveals so much about their relationship, that Nicola could fly off the handle at any moment. This dynamic between her and her family is the crux of the film, and ultimately takes it from being okay to good. Embeth Davidtz's debut feature is fairly uneven, but her strong performance covers many of the pacing and script issues at play. Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight will debut exclusively in theaters in NY and LA on July 11, 2025, courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics. The film will expand to additional markets in the following weeks.
