Xala

1975 · Senegal · 90 min

Director: Ousmane Sembène
Screenplay: Ousmane Sembène

Cast

Douta Seck

Younousse Sèye

Makhourédia Guèye

Miriam Niang

Farba Sarr

Langouste Drobe

Iliamane Sagna

Dieynaba Niang

Fatim Diagne

Seune Samb

What it is about

In newly independent Senegal, El Hadji Abdoukader Beye, a successful businessman and member of the Chamber of Commerce, marries for a third time, a gesture meant to display his social and economic standing. On the wedding night, however, he finds he cannot consummate the marriage. Suspecting a curse laid by one of his wives, he turns to charms and rituals that sit uneasily with his own professed beliefs, and his search pulls him into a world that is quickly unraveling. The film gently mocks the fragility of a man who has built his life on appearances.

How it was made

Ousmane Sembène wrote and directed the film, adapting his 1973 novel of the same name. Xala is a Wolof word for temporary sexual impotence. Sembène blends satire with elements of Senegalese folk tradition, giving them political weight that goes well beyond simple preservation of local customs. The cast includes Douta Seck, Younousse Sèye, Makhourédia Guèye, Miriam Niang and Seune Samb, among others. Shot in Senegal, the film pitches its satirical comedy at the corruption of post-independence governments.

Reception and legacy

The film premiered at the 1975 Moscow International Film Festival and won the Special Prize of the Jury at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 1976. On Rotten Tomatoes, 91% of 11 critics' reviews are positive, and Metacritic gives it 80 out of 100. Empire ranked it 83rd in its 2010 list of the 100 best films of world cinema. Critics have examined both its political bite and its handling of tradition, and in 2024 Criterion released it on Blu-ray in a box set with two other Sembène films.