Ali: Fear Eats the Soul is a 1974 movie written and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
Ali: Fear Eats the Soul tells the story of Emmi, a widowed house cleaner and Ali, a Morrocan immigrant mechanic, who meet and fall in love. Both characters are essentially isolated, lonely people who form an unusual bond. They find comfort in each other, but quickly realize that their family, friends and neighbors are hostile towards their intentions. These external pressures begin to crater the relationship.
The legend of Fassbinder is that he lived a fast life, died young and created an unparalleled body of work. The volume of movies he directed – some 40 over the span of 15 years – is astonishing. In Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, it’s easy to grasp how he accomplished such a feat. This a precise, effective story about loneliness and perception. The scenes are simple, but contain a density of emotion: the settings are sparse and dialogue purposeful, which effectively illustrates his characters’ anxiety.
There’s little wasted motion as Fassbinder introduces his leads and propels them into a meaningful union. Emmi enters a bar to get out of the rain – she’s aged and carries a worn appearance. Ali is presented as a hulking, stoic figure – he’s drinking with his “Arab buddies”, something he does every night. The clash of backgrounds creates a striking mood of suspicion, something Fassbinder expertly frames with his long, meditative shots.
Ali asks Emmi to dance with her, then offers to walk her home. The scene in her apartment lobby is fascinating. She is both afraid of Ali and endlessly intrigued by him. She comments on his clothes, suggesting that “dark clothes look sad.” Her own sadness is apparent – “it’s good to talk to somebody. I’m so lonely. All the time, really.” He is invited up for brandy and later spends the night. Ali’s own anxiety – a central theme of the movie – is apparent as he cannot sleep and comes to Emmi’s bedroom.
The morning after reveals Fassbinder’s careful study of his actors’ expressions. Emmi goes to bed content for perhaps the first time in years, but wakes up with an expression of horror as she realizes what has transpired. She nearly bursts before they embrace and have breakfast. Emmi is clearly conflicted and in a great bit of foreshadowing, Ali counsels her that “fear eats the soul.”
Emmi and Ali’s happiness is ephemeral, as the weight of others’ perceptions impacts their relationship. After they get married, Emmi and Ali dine at an upscale restaurant – one that Hitler used to frequent. They both appear out of their element and again, Fassbinder frames their isolation with a haunting closing shot.
No one in Emmi’s life can appreciate or accept that she has found love. From her family to her co-workers and gossipy neighbors, Ali is viewed as a threat. Animal-like qualities are attached to him. Conversely, Ali’s bar friends reject the significance of this new relationship. There is some tangible jealousy as Emmi is taking Ali away from them.
The most heartbreaking scene occurs when Emmi invites her daughter and two sons for a special occasion. The distance between the family is evident, as one son thinks that Emmi has gathered them to reveal that she’s dying. Instead, Ali is produced and the looks of disgust among Emmi’s family are heart breaking.
Emmi is devastated and the intensity of others’ intolerance grows. Virtually disowned by her family, Emmi is also increasingly isolated from her co-workers – she now eats lunch alone. Her neighbors accuse Ali of dirtying their building and call the police when some of his friends are invited to a party. She is banned from her local market after Ali is denied a purchase of margarine. Emmi is close to reaching a breaking point, which Fassbinder delicately portrays here.
However, there is a subtle shift occurring, as Emmi displays a power over Ali – at least in a traditional husband/wife dynamic. She offers up Ali to move some heavy boxes from the house’s cellar. She then instructs him to shower. After her relationship with her co-workers improve, they are invited over. Emmi shows off Ali as if he were a new toy – she has him flex his muscles for her friends.
Here we see Ali begin to drift away. While there is always a language barrier in play, Ali begins to grow quieter. He leaves at night to be with his “Arab buddies”, drinks too much and gambles away his money. He eventually ends up at the bartender’s apartment, where they spend the night together. Fassbinder again frames the scene to make a compact but powerful statement regarding loneliness.
The movie closes with Ali and Emmi again turning towards each other. They reunite by again dancing and Emmi rationalizes their relationship. Ali admits his extramarital affairs and Emmi urges him that she understands his wandering. She wants them to only “be nice to each other, otherwise life isn’t worth living.” The movie closes with Ali’s original message of “fear eats the soul” turning literal.
The acting is tremendous. Brigitte Mira shows a wealth of vulnerability as Emmi. Her weariness is striking, which makes her bursts of happiness after meeting Ali impactful. Her demeanor changes with her confidence – she is frumpy and tentative early on, then begins to carry herself in an assertive manner. As Ali appears to drift away, her vulnerability returns.
El Hedi ben Salam gives an intriguing performance – his Ali is at times precise and imposing, blended with an innocence and confusion regarding his surroundings. It’s evident that his status as a “foreign worker” permeates his very existence. He carries the constant tension of being viewed as either a threat or something exotic. Salam does an outstanding job of carrying silence during scenes – he crouches his towering frame during awkward moments and allows his anxiety to reveal itself.
The BEST – That’s How You Make a Movie
Fassbinder makes an emotionally complex movie that features simple, but stylishly effective camera shots and dialogue. There’s a necessity of design given the limited budget, but the lack of clutter in this movie is remarkable.
The BEST Part 2 – The Slapping Scene
This may be Salam’s best scene in what is an impressive performance. His Ali is basically careerning out of control. He’s sleeping around, drinking and losing money gambling. He has a moment of self-reflection in a bathroom mirror and begins beating himself. The slaps become ferocious as his character attempts to regain his grounding.
The BEST Part 3 – “You know Hitler?”
These could be considered throwaway lines, but Emmi references Hitler twice – each time asking Ali if he’s heard of him. It’s both a casual reference and deeper acknowledgement of the anxiety that lingers in Germany’s past.
The BEST Part 4 – “Things Sure are Changing.”
After Emmi’s neighbors call the police on their party, one of the officers has longer hair. One of the neighbors makes a snide comment on how the hair represents another cultural shift. First, Emmi brings home a “foreign worker” and now this.
The WORST -Krista and Her Husband
Before Emmi introduces Ali, she visits her daughter Krista to tell her she’s in love. Krista is first seen with her husband Eugen – played by Fassbinder. We quickly glimpse a dysfunctional relationship, as Eugen casually threatens Krista with violence. Yet, both outright reject Emmi and Ali’s marriage and Krista virtually disowns her mother.
The WORST Part 2 – Yolanda
One of the appealing aspects of the movie are the touches of gray Fassbinder gives to his characters. No one is pure. Emmi’s new relationship leads to isolation at her work. Yet, when one of her co-workers is fired and a plan to earn a raise is presented, Emmi finds herself back in the majority as the new worker, Yolanda is frozen out.
FOX FORCE FIVE RATING – 4.25/5
Fassbinder presents a heavy subject but doesn’t force it upon the viewer. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul does a masterful job of showing the effects of loneliness, anxiety and perception. It’s a compact movie that also is allowed to breathe and is accentuated with subtle style and direction.
