At the beginning of the film, it seems that the title Ali: Fear Eats the Soul will show the feelings of the main heroine Emmi, who is emerged from the usual way of life by chance, where there is no place for emotions, feelings, and even more for love with a young Moroccan. However, already in the immediate some minutes of the film, it becomes clear that the title embodies only the thoughts of all people around her, who are horrified to understand that the main heroine they know has simply lost her mind. And this fear literally eats up from the inside - they react so strongly to this event that they do not even hesitate to express their opinion in person. It is amazing to see how people are able to get angry, realizing only that someone is building a happy life outside the rules that are not understood by anyone. Neighbors, colleagues and children - everyone is ready to lash out at Emmi, only because of her choice between loneliness and marriage with a foreigner.
The basis of the film - the relationship of an elderly German woman with a young African man - can create a viewer's disgust for the film. It becomes clear from the very beginning what this film is about. It is about how we are afraid of something strange, how we are afraid to change our lives, and how we do not want others to change it. It is about how the society is ready to exchange happiness for decency, having made a person outcast.
Fassbinder shows us a cold, gloomy, empty, quiet world, in which there is no place for compassion and empathy. And the only bright spot on this inexpressive wall of human qualities are the close and such impossible relationships of a respectable German pensioner and a stately manly African. This strong and sad film is about the intolerable, decent society and the real strange relationships between two lonely people. Fear really eats the soul, and you need to remember this.
Fassbinder would not have been Fassbinder, if he had not included in this film his "visit cards" from the early works - silent scenes and a minimum of scenery, emphasizing the alienation and coldness of the surrounding world and the suffering of the main characters. The abundance of yellow and red colors create a sense of anxiety and danger. Nevertheless, after watching the film, a feeling of warmth and hope leaves, and in general, this is one of the most light, touching and optimistic works in the extensive filmography of the German director.
As this story shows, if you want to realize something, you need to feel it personally. In order to pronounce the words, in which the truth is concluded, one does not need to have a good command of the language. In general, it is not necessary to have some skills, except for the realization of the inevitable grave truth. Fear is transformed into hatred and impatience with others. Accursed fear really eats the soul, like nothing else, and leads to frenzy, illness and ultimately to mental or physical death.
