Video Analysis of 'Ali: Fear Eats The Soul'

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. 

What 'Ali: Fear Eats The Soul' is really about

An analysis of Ali: Fear Eats The Soul by Rainer Werner Fassbinder 

Ali: Fear Eats The Soul is a bittersweet film about the destructive ways in which informal norms such as racism and age affects relationships and health of those who violate these norms. The film's central characters are Ali and Emmi, a Black Moroccan guest-worker and an older White domestic worker who fall in love following a chance meeting. Their cultural differences are challenged by society at every turn. Ali holds things in and doesn’t express his feelings. Emmi, who does express her feelings openly, acts as the safety valve in the relationship. Ultimately, the strain of society’s cultural expectations causes Ali and Emmi to drift apart and Ali's stomach ulcers to worsen. 

Emmi's own children become hostile when they find out that she is involved with a Black man. Her son calls  her a whore and kicks in the television set. The employees of a restaurant stare at her and Ali. The neighborhood grocer refuses to serve Ali. Her friends avoid her and make racist comments about Ali. He invites some friends over and Emmi’s neighbors call the police about their music being too loud. Throughout all of this abuse, humiliation and rejection, Emmi cries for both of them but Ali is a rock. 

The second half of the film begins with the racist grocer making up to Emmi after his wife talks some economic sense into the man. One of the female neighbors that made racist remarks earlier in the film, comes to Emmi smiling and needing a favor and Emmi helps this friend, so relieved to be accepted after being rejected for marrying Ali. Next, Emmi’s racist son stops by for a favor. His demeanor is completely different from when she told him she was marrying Ali. This son’s wife had taken a part-time job and they needed someone to keep their kid. Again, Emmi is relieved and glad to do this for her son who’s obviously using his mother’s need for acceptance to his advantage. She forgets about Ali’s needs and this is when he begins to express his feelings. He asks Emmi to make a north African dish called couscous. This is his favorite dish she used to make for him. But now that she feels accepted by those who once rejected her, she won’t make couscous anymore. Emmi is the only tenant in her building with a man and she puts Ali to work for her friends. When a couple of these friends visit her, one of them—in the presence of Ali—makes a racist remark about his good hygiene. Ali has on a T-shirt and one of the women makes a comment about his physique. They walk around him feeling his muscles. This is the last straw for Ali whose hurt is now obvious. Without the safety-valve provided by the comfort Emmi gave him or the emotional outlet he had through her, Ali begins to show the effects of racism. 

He escapes this pain by having sex with Barbara. She is nice to Ali and cooks him couscous, his favorite dish. She’s young, beautiful, well-built and lives in a nice apartment. By contrast, Emmi is old, not very attractive, and lives in a crumbly low-rent apartment. But Ali loves her and most, importantly, Emmi shares his pain with him. But now, in order to fit in with her society she conforms by going along with things she knows are wrong. At 57:54 minutes into the film, Emmi’s friends refuse to eat lunch with her because of Ali;  at 1:16:00 into the film, Emmi and her friends refuse to eat with a woman who earns less money than they do. 

Despite the physical comfort Barbara provides, the ulcers in Ali’s stomach are becoming worse and when he comes home late knocking on Emmi’s door, he doubles over in agony on the floor. Emmi mistakes his condition for being drunk and ignores it. At this point of the film, Emmi has become a true German. But when Ali stays out for a number of days, she goes looking for him and finds him at work. His co workers make cruel remarks about her age, one referring to her as his’Grandma from Morocco.’ 

Later, at the bar, Ali gambles away his money. He slaps himself in the bathroom mirror. Emmi, as she did in the beginning, drops by the tavern and Ali asks her to dance. He apologizes for having sex with another woman. Then he falls to her feet groaning. Later, we find out that he has perforated ulcers caused by stress. On the outside, Ali seemed fine, even under the racism he and Emmi faced throughout the film. But in reality, stress and the fear has eaten away his soul. Sitting at his bedside and holder his hand, Emmi cries as she did before Ali became ill, when she had cried for them both and they shared their pain with each other. 

A scene-by-scene examination of 'Ali: Fear Eats The Soul'

A scene by scene analysis of 'Ali: Fear Eats The Soul'

You can follow this Analysis with the DVD

Title 2 (1:34-20:26) (19:52) Stop after they make love and hug

The story is set in Munich, Germany. It is raining outside and the sound of Arabian music draws Emmi into the Asphalt Bar where she meets Ali. A young woman dares him to dance with Emmi and he asks Emmi to dance.  Afterwards, he walks her home and she invites him up to her apartment until it stops raining. Over a cup of coffee and brandy, they talk. She and her father were in the Nazi party. He is a Muslim and comes from a large family. He is guest worker from Tismit in Morocco.He stays over the night and they make love.  

My viewpoint

Right away, it is clear that both Emmi and Ali are lonely. The rain is her loneliness and the Arabian music is Ali calling out to her and drawing her into the bar. At first when the young beautiful Arabian woman dares him to dance with Emmi, it seems like he’s simply playing along. However, as they dance and talk about themselves and share their pain with each other, you can clearly see that there is something there and the girls at the bar see it, too, which is why they don’t look so happy about it. Ali and Emmi have a connection that goes beyond their differences. Another thing that Thomas D. and I discussed at the Meetup (12/3/16) is how the younger women in the bar are the ones who show their insecurities against a woman who is twice their age and unattractive (in the conventional sense of the word). Usually, this would be the other way around with the older, unattractive woman being the one showing insecurities against younger attractive women. I believe that the younger women in the bar could “feel” something about Emmi that they themselves lacked. Emmi brings warmth.

The apartment where she lives is like her, old and worn, but at the same time, warm. They talk in the vestibule. She has 3 children but only sees them on special occasions. They live their own lives. She cleans for a living and lives alone. Emmi opens the door to see if it is still raining. It is and she invites him to stay until it stops. She makes a beautiful statement that sums up the whole move: “I’ll go see if the rain’s stopped,” she says, and seeing that it hasn’t she says, “It’s still pouring. Why don’t you come up for a while? I’ll make us a coffee, and maybe the rain will stop.” Great moment! 

Ali and Emmi are emotional opposites. Ali doesn’t show or express his feelings and Emmi does. With Ali, it is impossible to know from his face if he is not simply leading Emmi on. But when he shows up in her room and sits on her bed and starts caressing her arm, and, most importantly, sharing his pain with her, only then is it certain that Ali is as taken with Emmi as she is with him. From this point in the film, Emmi shares Ali's pain and Ali is able to deal with the racist attitudes from her society.  

Wikipedia 

• The film was shot in just under two weeks, and was planned as an exercise in film-making for Fassbinder, to fill in the time in his schedule between the work on two other films, Martha and Effi Briest.

• Ali is played by El Hedi ben Salem, who was Fassbinder's partner at the time. Barbara is played by Austrian actress Barbara Valentin, who was in the 1980s a partner of Freddie Mercury, lead singer of the band Queen. 

Title 7 (26:17-29:13) (2:56) Stop after “Your mother’s got a screw loose.”

Emmi tells her daughter and son-in-law that she’s in love with Ali, a Moroccan 20 plus years her junior and they think that she is joking, not really taking her seriously at all. 

My viewpoint

This is a great scene from the standpoint of the cinematography and costume design. Her white daughter has on a black nightie that suggests that her outlook on her mother’s relationship will be polarized and racist. Contrast this with Emmi’s dress which is multi-colored coinciding with her attraction to Ali. Also, note the crucifix hanging in the corner suggesting what will happen to her and Ali from this point forward as they make their relationship public. 

Wikipedia

The man playing her son-in-law in this scene is Fassbinder himself who was in a relationship with the actor playing Ali in this film 

Title 11 (43:22-46:05) (2:43) Stop after children leave 

Emmi breaks the news of her marriage to Ali to her children who all disown her and leave. 

My viewpoint

Emmi is devastated by the way her children react to her marriage while Ali is almost completely unemotional. The 2nd half of the film reverses the emotional roles he and Emmi play in the 1st half of the film. Now, though, it is Emmi who acts as the safety-valve for the both of them. 

Title 12 (46:05-49:15) (3:10) Stop after Emmi leaves store

Store owner refuses to serve Alit. Emmi confronts store owner and he throws her out

My viewpoint

Ali is unemotional when he is mistreated by the store owner who refuses to serve him; Emmi is the opposite, confronting the store owner directly

Title 13 (52:17-57:34) (5:17) Stop after police car leaves

One of Emmi’s co workers has lost a sister and stops by to ask if Emmi can stand in for her. But when Emmi introduces her friend to Ali, the woman changes her mind and leaves. Ali wants to go see his buddies but Emmi tells him to invite his friends to their place. Emmi’s neighbors call police on her for playing loud music. 

My viewpoint

Emmi begins to distance herself from Ali in the form of denial. When the woman sees Ali then leaves Emmi blames the sudden about-face on the fact that the woman just lost a sister even though the woman was obviously disturbed at the sight of Ali. The pressure has weakened Ali but when Barbara invites him to her place he still has the will-power to refuse her invitation. Another thing to note is the rejection of his culture when the police order them to turn down their music. It’s not that the music is loud but the fact that it is Arab music. You also notice that all of the rejection comes from Emmi’s society. Ali’s side has no problem with Emmi being white. 

Title 14 (59:57—1:03:08) (3:11) Stop after Emmi says “They will.”

Emmi and Ali are at a table on the patio of a restaurant. The employees of this restaurant are gathered together staring at them. Emmi cries but Ali is unemotional. 

My viewpoint

This is the pivotal scene in the film but 1st I want to comment on the cinematography. The scene begins with a very wide shot showing the couple surrounded by empty tables and space. They are totally alone as they have been ostracized by Emmi’s family, her friends, and her society. The close ups focus on Emmi’s face which is worn down with age and fatigue. This scene compresses everything they’ve dealt with being together. This scene is also the breaking point for Emmi, that she has reached the limit of her strength.

Title 15 (1:04:41-1:10:52) (6:03) Stop after Ali leaves

Mrs. Ellis, who once insulted Emmi and Ali, asks to borrow Emmi’s storage space and Emmi agrees, getting Ali to move the woman’s stuff. Next, Anton, the grocery who refused to serve Ali and who threw Emmi out of his store sees her and is all smiles. He drags her into his store. Next, Emmi’s son Bruno asks her if she can babysit his kid for a given time and Emmi agrees to do so. This is the same Bruno who kicked in her television when he found out she was marrying Ali, a Black man.

My viewpoint

Emmi tells Ali to be nice to Ms. Ellis “and she will be nice to you.” This is the statement that defines Emmi from this point on. Everyone in this scene needs something from her and are willing to “tolerate” Ali and hide their true feelings. Emmi wants so badly to be accepted that she is blind to the fact that none of this is real. She even goes to the point of condemning Ali of the one thing he has to remember his own culture by refusing to make couscous for him. He left his Arab friends, the bar where he used to hang out and listen to Arab music, everything that he identifies with for Emmi’s culture where he has no friends, only those who wish to use him. And now that Emmi feels accepted again, she won’t even make his favorite dish! Emmi is no longer expressing her feelings and now all of the pain Ali’s been holding in begins to show in various ways.

Title 17 (1:18:23-1:19:44) (1:21) Stop after Ali leaves

Emmi allows her racist friends to grope Ali, feeling his muscles. He is insulted and leaves

Emmi is selling her soul to be accepted by her friends at Ali’s expense. Now, she’s showing him off like a freak. Again, the feelings he’s been able to suppress earlier in the film begin to show.

Title 17 (1:21:12-1:22:38) (1:26) Stop after they fall on couch

Ali visits Barbara who own the Asphalt Bar. They make love and he stays the night. 

My viewpoint

Ali is weakened by Emmi’s rejection and to address his pain he seeks pleasure in the form of sex with Barbara. Barbara, is much younger and far more attractive then Emmi but she can’t replace the warmth Emmi gave Ali. Without Emmi’s warmth, Ali seeks sex as a distraction. Again, the cinematography in this scene is very effective in showing the coldness of their lovemaking as the camera perspective is far away from them, almost detached, turning them into vague forms enclosed by darkness. 

Title 19 (1:25:22-1:33:12) (7:50) end of film

Ali is at Barbara’s bar gambling and losing all of his money. Emmi stops in the bar and she and Ali dance. Ali doubles over and is taken to the hospital to have a perforated ulcer removed. 

My viewpoint

Ali’s pain expresses itself in diversion, in this case, the diversion is gambling. Slapping himself foreshadows the perforated ulcers in that both are him attacking himself. Without Emmi as an emotional safety-valve, Ali implodes. When they reunite and dance as they danced in the beginning of the film, he tells her of his affair with Barbara and they make up. But by this time the damage is done and it is too late. However, there is a glimmer of hope at the end of the film as Ali lay unconscious with Emmi at his side holding his hand. Once again, as she had in the 1st half of the film, she cries, and in doing so, gives expression to his pain.