Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: reviews

What the critics say average 7.5 from 16 outlets

• 9.1 Original-CinChris Knight The film is a potent portrait of the heavy bootprint that colonialism left on the African continent, but the childlike point of view makes it an eminently watchable story, with moments of levity and even humour. Read
• 9.0 The Hollywood ReporterCaryn James There is more of Fuller’s memoir that might be a source for other adaptations. It is hard to imagine any would be more beautifully realized than this. Read
• 9.0 The Wall Street JournalKyle Smith “Dogs” is a beguiling recreation of one irrepressible childhood. The movie is sometimes funny, sometimes heartrending, but always invitingly candid and relatable. In its specificity it winds up being universal: As children, we really were odd little beasts, weren’t we? Read
• 8.0 Los Angeles TimesAmy Nicholson The pull of the film lies in how Davidtz allows Bobo to bob on the surface of things while we feel the dark undertow. Read
• 8.0 Screen RantMary Kassel The movie is Davidtz's feature debut. What she crafts is something imperfect, but as nuanced as a discussion of this topic from the white perspective can be. Read
• 8.0 VarietyPeter Debruge Precisely the sort of intelligent, human-scale adult drama audiences insist no one makes anymore. Read
• 8.0 The GuardianPeter Bradshaw It’s a powerful, immersively detailed film, with three outstanding performances. Read
• 7.5 The Seattle TimesGemma Wilson Parts of that story may be hard to watch, but, anchored by Venter’s extraordinary performance, it’s not hard to enjoy. Read
• 7.5 Associated PressJocelyn Noveck Nobody’s perfect, though Bobo may think she is. But in Venter’s performance, Davidtz has found something pretty close: a child actor who can carry an entire film and never seem like she’s acting. Read
• 7.5 IndiewireRyan Lattanzio The grand takeaway is Venter’s astonishing turn. That kid’s got a future, and it began with a filmmaker who knew how to direct her: with patient energy while also encouraging the freedom to play and seek and explore as Bobo does within her little big world. Read
• 7.5 The Washington PostTy Burr The bones of this memory play are familiar, but Davidtz is a natural filmmaker, and the sense of a tattered but privileged world teetering on extinction is visualized with fresh and evocative details. Read
• 6.3 Roger EbertPeyton Robinson “Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight” is inherently bound by its white perspective, but at the same time, it would simply be a different story if not through Bobo’s eyes. Read
• 6.0 ColliderAnna Miller Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight is a fascinating indie flick with enough pull to find its audience. Davidtz does well enough with her first feature, and the story, along with Venter’s incredible performance, is more than enough to pique the audience’s interest enough to perhaps pick up the memoir. Read
• 6.0 Screen DailyRobert Daniels Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight is the kind of bold swing with difficult material that does manage to earn your respect. Read
• 6.0 New York TimesNatalia Winkelman Because she lacks a conception of colonialism, Davidtz sometimes struggles to negotiate the film’s fidelity to her point of view with a more complete picture of the war. Read
• 6.0 The TimesKevin Maher It’s always compelling, and a powerful first feature. Read