Self-interest
Shortly after Ali and Emmi got married, the owner of the shop where Emmi used to go treats Ali badly and refuses to serve him. When Emmi goes to complain, he treats her in the same way and throws her out of the shop. Ironically, he changes his attitude quickly when he realized that he lost a loyal customer. At his wife’s advice, the shopkeeper then begins to treat Ali and Emmi with respect, hoping that it will make Emmi become a regular customer again.
Relationship
Emmi’s daughter criticizes her mother’s relationship with Ali and calls her a whore and her house pigs lay. But Emmi’s daughter seems to be the less qualified person to give advice on relationships. Her relationship with her partner is a dysfunctional one, with her being treated as a slave and her partner being lazy and refusing to work. What is more, the first scene where Krista is introduces presents her as being dressed in a provocative manner and her partner ironically calls her a whore, a term which will be later used by Krista to describe her own mother.
First to come back
When Emmi tells her children about her marriage to Ali, her son Bruno is the one who reacts in the most violent manner. Bruno wrecks the TV-set and then leaves her mother’s house in a hurry, claiming that he wants nothing to do with her. Ironically, Bruno is the first one to try and make amends with his mother. While his reasons may be selfish, he is the first one to be forced by unfavorable circumstances to seek his mother’s forgiveness.
Moral support
When the view first sees Barbara, it is easy to assume that she is a mean person who doesn’t care about anyone. Ironically, she is the one who helps Ali get through his fight with Emmi and she is the one who accepts his customs and desires without trying to force him to adapt in the German society. Barbara is also the one who facilitates Ali and Emmi’s reconciliation by playing the song on which Ali and Emmi danced for the first time.
Foreigner mentality
The character which the viewer expects the less to adopt a racist mentality is Emmi. Her first husband was also a foreigner and she is presented as being open minded towards people coming from another countries. Despite this, she begins to have a similar attitude towards foreigners like those around her and even tells her friends that Ali is moody as a result of his foreign mentality.
