What It's About:

Prominent African businessman Beye (Lege) is connected to the newly formed government in Senegal, which is every bit as corrupt as the colonialist regime that preceded it. However, this self-satisfied fellow is about to receive his comeuppance. It appears he has overstepped himself by taking on his third polygamous marriage, which stirs things up considerably at home. When he becomes impotent on his wedding night, Beye searches desperately for a cure, and begins to lose control of his well-ordered life.

Why I Love It:

This overlooked African gem from director Sembene amusingly demonstrates that polygamy isn't all it's cracked up to be, as our hero quickly demonstrates he’s really not up to having three wives. This more comic vein of “Xala” (which means “impotence”) leavens a much more pointed political message about a supposedly socialist, all-black government whose leaders indulge in the same kind of greed as their white, colonialist predecessors. The funny, offbeat “Xala” is well worth seeing, even if you only have one wife.