Xala

1975

2h 0m

Comedy

List

91%

Tomatometer

11 Reviews

63%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Senegal has finally won independence from France and the white members of the Chamber of Commerce have been thrown out. The people's revolution of "African Socialism" begins as the black businessmen fill those empty seats, only to take enormous bribes that ensure the whites will secretly remain in power. One of these businessmen celebrates by marrying a third wife, but on the day of the wedding he finds he's contracted the curse of Xala, rendering him impotent.

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Richard Brody

New Yorker

Sembène depicts a corrupt system that replaced white dictators and profiteers with black ones; the symbolic ending, a glimmer of revolutionary hope, is as gratifying as it is implausible.

May 27, 2019

Full Review

Gary Arnold

Washington Post

The major problem with the film is that the exposition is not nearly as clever as the premise. After warming to the idea behind the movie, one tends to cool off as it trudges toward a resolution.

May 9, 2017

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

It's very much worth seeing.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 22, 2007

Full Review

Scott Nye

Battleship Pretension

...Sembène isn’t concern with subtlety; he’s taking too much pleasure in tightening the screws.

Jun 18, 2024

Full Review

Mattie Lucas

From the Front Row

In Xala, the powers that be in Senegal have lost sight of the revolutionary fervor felt in Emitaï , and through Sembène's acerbic lens, that once glittering promise becomes little more than a bitter joke.

Jun 18, 2024

Full Review

Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

Xala's sharp indictments—whether primarily dramatic or comic—still sting, despite (or perhaps because of) their usual surface of even-toned social realism.

Mar 4, 2024

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Leaburn O

Somehow, this Senegalese comedy from the 70s is regarded by both Empire and the BBC as one of the top 100 foreign language films ever. It really isn't even if it has a memorable final scene.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

06/28/23

Full Review

david l

Ousmane Sembene's Xala is one of those movies that are much more interesting to read about than to watch. The themes are important and well handled, but the pacing is too slow and the movie's difficult to get invested in. The directing was good and the inclusion of comedic touches was also refreshing, but the plot never garnering enough urgency and momentum was a huge hurdle for it.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

dustin d

Xala is loving treatment of Senegalese society with a scathing commentary on the ineptitude of its government, mirrored in the comical impotence of the film's main character. A funny movie that also feels as real as a documentary. Forgive some of the technical errors (like the mike boom shadow on the wall).

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Smart and satirical, although some of it (in particular, the ending) is a little hard to watch.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

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Audience Member

The version I saw had very poor subtitles with a good chunk of lines not being subtitled.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A successful businessman with political connections becomes impotent and searches desperately for a cure, as the disabled go begging, as peasants suffer from drought. The revolution against colonialism must be extended to revolution against patriarchy, and to the revolution against capitalism.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

Full Review

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Ousmane Sembene

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Hadji Aboucader Beye

Seune Samb

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Younouss Seye

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Synopsis

Senegal has finally won independence from France and the white members of the Chamber of Commerce have been thrown out. The people's revolution of "African Socialism" begins as the black businessmen fill those empty seats, only to take enormous bribes that ensure the whites will secretly remain in power. One of these businessmen celebrates by marrying a third wife, but on the day of the wedding he finds he's contracted the curse of Xala, rendering him impotent.

Director: Ousmane Sembene
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: French (France)
Runtime: 2h 0m

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