Xalé

This singular Senegalese melodrama charts the struggles of orphaned teenage twins Awa and her brother Adama. The latter dreams of a new life in Europe while Adama has to cope with the unwanted attentions of her uncle. Director Moussa Sene Absa keeps us on our toes switching between different time lines and throwing in commentary from a griot and a women’s choir.

Curatorial note: “Awa grows up in a tight family unit under the lyrical eyes of a chorus that reaches into the stories and lives of the community and the people intertwined within it. When a disaster alters her future, the community and its structures that enable gender based violence come into focus. Not only must she reckon with the new future that unfolds; she must also attend to the ghost of her past and the man who causes this rupture.” Akojo Film Collective

The latest film from the veteran Senegalese director blends narrative styles and traditions with abandon, running the gamut from local folklore to Western-style soap opera… it’s consistently, colorfully diverting and honestly felt, likely to enchant many a curious art house patron who stumbles upon it.

Guy Lodge, Variety