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Ali: Fear Eats the Soul

Play trailer Poster for Ali: Fear Eats the Soul 1974,  1h 34m,  Romance/ Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist 100% 42 Reviews Tomatometer 91% 5,000+ Ratings Popcornmeter
100% Tomatometer 42 Reviews 91% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Emmi Kurowski (Brigitte Mira), a cleaning lady, is lonely in her old age. Her husband died years ago, and her grown children offer little companionship. One night she goes to a bar frequented by Arab immigrants and strikes up a friendship with middle-aged mechanic Ali (El Hedi ben Salem). Their relationship soon develops into something more, and Emmi's family and neighbors criticize their spontaneous marriage. Soon Emmi and Ali are forced to confront their own insecurities about their future.
Ali: Fear Eats the Soul

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Regarded as one of the high-water marks in German New Wave cinema of the 1970s, Ali: Fear Eats the Soul is at once an intense portrayal of a relationship and a tribute to one of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's film heroes, Douglas Sirk.

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Critics Reviews

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Adam Kempenaar Filmspotting Apr 18, 2023
4.5/5
In All That Heaven Allows, it’s ‘only’ class that divides them. That’s part of its elegance - and potency. Fassbinder amplifies all of the oppressive forces that conspire against this couple without compromising either. Go to Full Review
Tony Rayns Sight & Sound Apr 1, 2020
Like Rainer Werner Fassbinder's other recent imitations of life, Fear Eats the Soul... achieves a remarkable balance between stylisation and realism. Go to Full Review
Tara Brady Irish Times Apr 26, 2017
5/5
It even manages something like a happy ending without sugar-coating the still poignantly relevant themes.Timely and heartbreaking, some 43 years after its debut. Go to Full Review
Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Jun 30, 2026
4/4
Fassbinder famously observed that "love is the best, most perfidious, and most effective instrument of social oppression." This philosophy anchors his film’s central romance, which crosses generational and cultural lines. Go to Full Review
Becky Kukla Vague Visages Aug 7, 2023
Though perhaps not perfect, Ali: Fear Eats the Soul is by far Fassbinder’s most authentic and human work. Go to Full Review
Josh Larsen LarsenOnFilm Apr 6, 2023
3/4
...a movie that seems to have given up on the very idea of genuine human connection, even as it aches for exactly that. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Leia S Mar 16, 2019 Adept in visual storytelling but today this kind of film feels as a prototype for more deeply felt and affecting stories told today.
Luke S Dec 17, 2018 The cinematography is perfect; simple, yet beautiful. Fassbinder's masterpiece.
Anakin S Feb 17, 2018 1001 movies to see before you die. This film confronts race, immigration and class all based in Germany. It also captured Munich in a distinct time period. I even found the restaurant they went to is still there! See more
Luke L Nov 19, 2017 A moving & ground breaking German Film directed by German Wild Child Rainer Weiner Fassbinder who worked hard & partied harder. The story of a middle aged German Woman who falls in love with a Moroccan Migrant Worker despite intense social disapproval & gossip. Beautifully made & heart achingly true, filled with performances & such an sincerity. A must see of Fassbinder's films. See more
Anakin W Sep 30, 2017 more relevant today (2017) than ever. masterful.
Ron R Jul 30, 2017 Strange performances can't take away from such a genuine romance, that both examines age, race and loneliness delicately and with conviction; it feels real and extremely thoughtful. See more
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Ali: Fear Eats the Soul

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Cast & Crew

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Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Director

Brigitte Mira

Emmi Kurowski

El Hedi ben Salem

Ali

Barbara Valentin

Barbara

Irm Hermann

Krista

Marquard Bohm

Gruber

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Ali: Fear Eats the Soul

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Emmi Kurowski (Brigitte Mira), a cleaning lady, is lonely in her old age. Her husband died years ago, and her grown children offer little companionship. One night she goes to a bar frequented by Arab immigrants and strikes up a friendship with middle-aged mechanic Ali (El Hedi ben Salem). Their relationship soon develops into something more, and Emmi's family and neighbors criticize their spontaneous marriage. Soon Emmi and Ali are forced to confront their own insecurities about their future.
Director
Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Producer
Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Distributor
New Yorker Films
Production Co
Filmverlag der Autoren
Genre
Romance, Drama
Original Language
German
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 5, 1974, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 11, 2017
Runtime
1h 34m
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