Xala

TRY TO BE SUPER QUICK TODAY I WAS SUPPOSED 2 BE ASLEEP AN HOUR AGO

Xala
Today was the screening for Xala. I'm actually kind of bittersweet about this film. I didn't really enjoy it, and i also didn't really hate it either. It probably has to do with the feelings towards El Hadji, too. In the beginning I think I really disliked him, but as the film progressed I started to feel sorry for him, especially at the end, but still at the same time I felt like he had it coming. I would have like Xala more, I think, if they could have done something to make the 2 languages more distinguishable, because for a while i didn't know they were speaking 2 different languages, and I think this would have gave a stronger effect during the scenes were Rama was talking to her father in his office, and also the scene where El Hadji was presenting his case to the other members of his work. Um... I also made note about the clothing through out Xala. There was always the traditional African American loose colorful print garbs, and then the business suit/ Western clothes. The clothing difference stood out the most, when El Hadji went to visit those African 'doctors' to take away his Xala. Here he was, in a full business suite and briefcase, looking so out of place in an isolated African village, when usually, it is the other pople who look out of place in El Hadji's world. Also, Adja (1st wife) was always wearing the traditional clothes, and Rama would alternate between the two. Oumi (2nd wife) and her family all wore Western clothes and it felt like those people were always asking for money. The first thing the eldest son did when he seen El Hadji was ask for money, and same with the 2nd wife, even saying that what he gave wasn't enough. What I thought was really ironic and sad was that, even though El Hadji seemed to care the least about Adja (ie. he didn't give them money, and when he was rid of his Xala for those few days it was Oumi who he went to visit), and jet Adja and Rama were the ones who welcomed him back to their homes after he lost his job and went broke. There was also a lot of juxtapositions of culture throughout this movie, that if one wasn't paying attention to, they might not have caught it. First I caught the clothing juxtaposition. Also, when El Hadji's workmates where casting votes about whether or not they should exclude him from their group they put the ballots in a tribal centerpiece. So symbols of 'civilization' (voting) vs. 'un-civilazation' (the tribal mask). And also the whole idea of trying to cure El Hadji's Xala. Basically trying a tribal remedy for a modern day problem. I also wanted to point out is the title Xala itself. I thought it was interesting to note that to the unknowing audience (ie. Me) they wouldn't find out what Xala was until pretty much half way through the movie. My first guess was that Xala was the name of an important female character.