I'd read the book, and in my interest to learn Wolof, I checked out this film.

It's rare that the director and the author of the original book are the same person. That's the case here, I think.

The film really packs a wallop. Funny, poignant, it's a kind of African BLUE ANGEL with equal parts Jean-Luc Godard and a touch of Freaks: Funny, tragic, disgusting, and political. (Much of the politics are about internalized colonialism.) "You have a right to speak. But speak in French. You can curse and insult each other, but you must curse and insult IN FRENCH." It is a bit long. I recommend seeing it in two sittings. The obvious low budget sets are a bit distracting, but, in a way, they help give a poverty feel to the movie.

The acting varies. The first wife is incredible. You can see her anger and her dignity. The businessmen are a little on the weak side. Too much "ok, move your hands in denial now," "okay, nod like you agree." The ending was a surprise and a bit of a disappointment. (The lead actor must've spent months watching Emil Jannings.) But, to me, the ending seemed cut. Implying tragedy, but not showing the results. I got the feeling it was somehow shortened... as if there were more, that New Yorker Video did not want to present to the public. Also, the sub-titles were sparse, especially in the Wolof sections.

Still, it's a fine movie, and certainly worth a couple of evenings.

Senegal has been freed from the shackles of empire. But the new face of governance continues with greed and corruption just as before. The best line in the film is when the main character, a politician, is told by his daughter: "I don't drink imported water." African leaders are so corrupted by white monopoly capitalists. 'Xala' discusses many important themes that we have discussed in class, particularly the balance between Western practices and "traditional" ones. While this starts from Senegal's official El Hadji's sexual incompetence on his wedding night with his third wife, it plays out throughout the film. He goes to mystic for cure his impotence, through the story of the troubles of El Hadji, the narrative expertly discusses the difficulties of post-independence government. This issue of tradition vs modernity, European vs African ideals was very important during the independence period in Africa (and indeed today). This is expressed by the journey of El Hadji and the more liberal views of his daughter. I was full of awe after enjoying this utterly majestic work of art. Highly recommended!

So far in my life, I've only seen two Senegalese movies: "Hyenas" and "Xala". The latter offers a satirical look at corruption.

The plot goes like this: following Senegal's independence from France, a crooked official - he makes sure that France still controls the country's resources - uses the country's money to get married for the third time. That's when poetic justice kicks in; he gets stricken with a curse called "xala", rendering him impotent.

If absolutely nothing else, this movie is a very impressive look at a culture that we in the west rarely get to see (and specifically, we get to hear Wolof spoken). Are the events portrayed cause for cynicism? Hard to say. But I recommend the movie either way.