Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight

In my travels over my lifetime, it seems as memorable as the geography was the people I met along the way. Among those was a couple from Cairns, Queensland, Australia, whom I met in 1986.

They were millionaire farmers in what was Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, who decided to leave quickly after some of their neighbors had been murdered.

This was after Robert Mugabe had taken over the country.

They were allowed to leave with only 1 car, and had to leave all of their other assets behind.

So they chose their Rolls Royce, which upon entry to Australia, leaned by law that the car would be impounded in a warehouse for 2 years . They were to use the car as seed money to start a new life.

So they invited me to dinner in their humble cinderblock house.

And I thought at the time and have for 40 years of their lives, previously comfortable after their family's generations in formerly Rhodesia having to start over in their 60s in a new country.

This movie mirrors their times, although from the perspective of a much humbler farm family and through the eyes of their 8 year old daughter, Bobo.

Where at the time (1980) normal life was for a mother to have over her shoulders an Uzi submachine gun slung over her shoulders.

Or shooting a cobra on your porch.

This movie is supposed to be "somewhat" factual, based on a novel.

But it offered an interesting glimpse into the times of the politics, through the eyes of an innocent 8 year old girl.

I've read most of Fuller's books, including this titular one (which I've read twice). They present a view of Africa (as the other books move to different locales) that I've never encountered: people living on the wrong side of history, but unapologetically so. And this is where the book differs significantly from the film, with the result that the film is quite a different story from the book.

Fuller, in the memoir, presents her family's lives in a matter-of-fact way, aware of the Rhodesian Bush War and its dangers, particularly to Tim, the father. Since the memoir is retrospect, you get a rather adult colouring of Fuller's childhood. She is aware, too, of course, of the racism that permeates the country's politics; yet she is more interested in her family's hardscrabble efforts to make a living.

The film shifts this to a story that highlights and centres the racism that allowed the Fuller family (and other white families) the privileges (such as they were) they enjoyed. Thus, what I've pointedly called the Rhodesian Bush War in the book becomes, in the film, Zimbabwe War of Liberation. This tonal shift is perhaps unsurprising, as it would likely be impossible to adhere fully to Fuller's memoir given contemporary attitudes to the horrors of racism and colonialism.

What changes too is the point of view, from the memoir's retrospective adult to the film's seven-year-old's contemporary understanding. Initially, this threw me; but as the film progressed, and the information that Bobo takes in is the same information that you take in, the harsh, oppressive realities of a colonial way of life sink in.

Bobo's parents' attitudes, for example, certainly shape hers. In one scene, she orders around her Black African playmates until she is corrected by Sarah, a hired hand, who tells her that these children are her equals and not her servants. The neighbouring white families are depicted as low-class salacious slobs who refuse to understand the historical shift taking place; and while I realize that this may have been the case, the film pushes the point to the extent that none of the whites have any redeeming qualities, and this felt a bit off-kilter.

Nevertheless, the film is mostly flawless: acting, directing, cinematography, editing -- all brilliant, especially Lexi Venter as Bobo and Davidtz as the mother (and as director). These two should be up for major awards, along with the film itself. Highly recommended.

The days of independent 'arthouse' movie theaters are, sadly, mostly a thing of the past unless you live in a market that can support one. This film would certainly land there if there were any. I was rapt with the story , cinematography . . . And . . . Acting. Some of the shot set ups are remarkedly artistic and original. The main character, a young child is in practically every shot and scene and could not be more believable in that portrayal and you are always seeing things from her point of view and nothing is ever hyped or remotely artificial. I hesitated to give the movie eight stars only because I reserve that for only the very best and special kind of movies but this one is at that level because everything and I mean everything works and it is great story on a deeply human level. No one is pigeon holed , you can relate to anyone of them. Not Hollywood ,studio fare, best movie I have seen in quite some time.

An unforgettable achievement - Davidtz, making a bold and assured leap behind the camera, directs with a rare combination of restraint and boldness. Davidtz, herself born and raised in South Africa, brings a rare authenticity and emotional precision to the film that elevates it beyond a simple adaptation. Beautifully performed, and devastatingly honest. A must-watch. The cast is a lineup of performers that feel entirely lived-in, as if pulled from the soil of the land itself.

This film doesn't hold back any punches depicting White racism and black oppression and the violence of the times. An excellent realistic depiction of both white and black southern Africa at that time, where white southern Africans were driven into a corner in the country they had had ruled for decades from a legacy of European imperialism, where they too end up being victims of their own culture. This was all perfectly portrayed and captured an accurate time capsule of modern African history. Brilliant acting by Ms Venter who plays the free spirited young protagonist whose unvarnished and unrelenting view of the world she inhabits brings into conflict with everyone around her. Her performance is completely natural and powerful and drives the narrative with complete authenticity.