This is an analysis of Rainier Werner Fassbinder's film Ali: Fear Eats The Soul
Emmi (Brigitte Mira) is a 60 year old housecleaner who works all day and lives by herself. She is White, German, and her parents were Nazis. One day, Emmi enters an Arabian Bar seeking shelter from the rain and, there, meets a 39 year old Muslim named Ali (El Hedi ben Salem). Taking a dare from his friends, he asks the old woman to dance. He buys her a Coke. Then, he escorts her home. She invites him in for a drink. He's a guest-worker from Morocco, single, and shares a room with 6 other men. And, like Emmi, he is also very lonely. They become friends and eventually lovers in a most unlikely relationship.
Fassbinder drew inspiration from Douglass Sirk's 'All That Heaven Allows' and shot this film in just 2 weeks! This is a very tender little movie by one of my favorite directors.
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