Summary:
A German woman in her mid-sixties and a Moroccan migrant worker in his twenties fall in love.
My Thoughts:
The thing I love most about Fassbinder’s films is that he totally understands relational dynamics, so much so that the subject of his films can be as simple as a quirky, run-of-the-mill romantic comedy and he still brings to the table themes that resonate to this day. Of all the films I’ve watched of Fassbinder’s thus far, “Ali: Fear Eats the Soul” is probably the most poignant; it deals with themes of racism and love conquering that racism, but it does it in a way that doesn’t seem preachy or tawdry. What really elevates this film is the ending, but we’ll get to that in a bit; the top part of this review will be relatively spoiler-free. To me, this film felt a little bit like “Harold and Maude”, only less funny.
“When we’re together, we must be nice to each other. Otherwise, life’s not worth living.”
Emmi (Brigitte Mira, “Mother Kusters Goes to Heaven”) is a lonely elderly woman living in Germany whom, one night, decides to visit a bar that is frequented by foreigners. While everyone else avoids the elderly woman, Ali (El Hedi ben Salem, “World on a Wire”) goes to talk to her, and soon the two of them form a friendship, and that friendship soon blossoms into love. Emmi and Ali decide to marry, much to the chagrin of their friends and relatives, and they soon find that though they may be in love, the world finds it difficult to accept.
As I mentioned above, this is probably the most poignant of all of Fassbinder’s films that I’ve watched thus far, and that’s because of its themes, which deal with racism against foreigners for reasons beyond their control. Near the beginning of this film, Ali mentions the 1972 Munich massacre where terrorists killed eleven Israeli Olympians and talks about how, ever since that incident, Arab immigrants have been treated with fear and hostility. At first Emmi seems unable to fully comprehend that these immigrants are being treated differently, but as her and Ali’s relationship grows, she sees insights into the treatment Ali faces. When Ali brings friends over to Emmi’s apartment, the cops are called for a ‘noise complaint’. When Emmi brings her children over to meet Ali, they scatter almost immediately. These interactions with others start to weigh on their relationship, and it becomes difficult for Ali and Emmi to stay together.
I think the thing that I like the most about the way Fassbinder crafts this love story is that he builds two separate worlds from which both characters come. Emmi’s world is filled with white Germans- many of her coworkers and acquaintances are old and stodgy- and Ali’s world is filled with young Arab immigrants. Their worlds feel so far apart that, at first, it doesn’t quite seem natural for them to be together. But when Ali and Emmi are together alone in Emmi’s apartment, all the other noise of the world fades away, and the two seem to feel at home with each other. The apartment almost becomes a safe space where the two can be in love without worrying about the judgmental gazes of others, but that, in turn, makes it more difficult for the two to venture out in public, where they constantly fall under scrutiny. After a while, the apartment no longer feels like it’s safe, it becomes suffocating.
SPOILERS ABOUT ENDING FOLLOW
As the film goes on, Ali and Emmi struggle to stay in love, but they eventually decide that they will stay married, despite the negative reactions of others. In the last scenes, Ali collapses and is taken to a hospital, where a doctor informs Emmi that he has a stomach ulcer. The doctor says that Ali will recover, but he’ll occasionally feel immense pain from this ulcer, and it will never go away entirely. The final scene shows Emmi crying in the hospital beside Ali. Fassbinder choosing to end his film like this is absolutely brilliant. The characters have decided to stay together, so in a sense, this is exactly what we the viewers have been rooting for- it should be a happy ending. But at the same time, Fassbinder leaves us with a bitter truth: there will constantly be pain in this relationship. Fassbinder believes that love is worth fighting for, but he’s also not naively optimistic enough to believe that a love like the one Ali and Emmi share would be easy. A love like theirs is doomed to a bittersweet existence, and Fassbinder captures that feeling perfectly.
Verdict:
I really enjoyed this film, though, if I’m being honest, I sort of expected a little more. This is one of Fassbinder’s most highly acclaimed works, and, while I certainly think it’s good, I wouldn’t say it’s even the best of the few films I’ve seen of his oeuvre (I loved “The Marriage of Maria Braun”). Maybe the reason this film is so highly acclaimed is because of it’s timeless themes; it’s certainly a great story, and Fassbinder a lot to the table in terms of craft. I certainly recommend this film, and if you’re new to Fassbinder, this isn’t a bad place to start.
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