Xala: Best Not Spoken In English

I didn’t know what to expect; Third Cinema; I had never heard of it. But I was seriously impressed.  Xala interprets and represents a world, not forgotten, but unseen by most American moviegoers.  Representing the ideology of independence Third Cinema embraces the possibility of engaging the audience into awareness.  There Is a message here; that nothing is neutral, even a simple story.

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                Set in Senegal, Africa, Xala delivers an outstanding representation of what inflicts most societies, but in particular is represented by the culture that is presented.  There are some things in American mainstream cinema that are just not talked about, not popular with the masses, and then there is Xala, best not spoken in English, because it was spoken beautifully from the perspective of the people the story belongs to. The plot ranges from diverse reactions to polygamy, to uncovering the government corruption and the possible redemption of a man’s soul by accepting his place as an equal to the people he once shunned, and now offer the portal to his redemption.  It isn’t perfect, but that is the beauty of this cinematic art form.  It’s real, raw, and extremely blunt in expressing the story. 

Third Cinema is profuse with neocolonialism and the message that foreign capitalism is employed in the exploitation of the lesser for the more developed.  That’s hard to argue. Originating in the 1960’s, third cinema has endured and proliferated, offering a message that rejects the individual view of a single director and invites the viewer to an experience of a multiple kind; a collective view of the world it represents.  Xala expresses this beautifully; from the moment that the Socialist (Capitalist) character, Aboucader Beye emerges into the story.  A world distinctively divided by class, where privilege is presented in its ultimate expression of abuse as the character takes his third wife, we are allowed to see the outcome of the ultimate folly where one profits and many suffer in return.  Ultimate in power, Aboucader uses funds for social programs to fuel his attainment of what he deems to be status, but it is his undoing. This theme is common in Third Cinema movies as they tend to address issues of social and political power, through the use of realistic portrayals.  

                The lesson is clear; one cannot benefit at the profit of others.  Realistically portrayed, disabled, ignored and forgotten, the characters of the film progress toward their message; although not at the pace of everyone, because they don’t have the fortunate benefit of assistance or wheelchairs to assist their journey.  Yet the movie ends in the same room; same place for all; in equality.  Therein is the beauty of the Third Cinema tradition. It is engaging; presenting stories of oppression and revealing how those issues effect the society portrayed. There is no wondering about what the point of the story was when you walk away.  You feel changed.  One cannot help but decide where one stands from what is portrayed. It is an automatic reaction to anything that challenges, but the Third cinema tradition exemplifies this possibility for us without effort. Simply presenting a story from a cultural perspective of truth and causing us to face choice; whether or not we will notice the people the story belongs to.

Sources Cited:

"Neocolonialism." Wikipedia, 2010. Web. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neocolonialism>.

"The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema." Empire. Bauer Consumer Media, n.d. Web. 20 Nov 2010. <http://www.empireonline.com/features/100-greatest-world-cinema-films/default.asp?film=83>.

"Third Cinema." Film Reference. Avameg Inc., 2010. Web. 20 Nov 2010. <http://www.filmreference.com/encyclopedia/Romantic-Comedy-Yugoslavia/Third-Cinema.html>.

"Third Cinema." Wikipedia, 2010. Web. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Cinema>.

"Xala." Web. 20Nov 2010. <http://www.netflix.com/>.