Salesman
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Ali: Fear Eats the Soul
Ali: Fear Eats the Soul
A film by Rainer Werner Fassbinder
On a thunderous night, a
woman in her 60s walks into a German bar to wait for the rain to settle. The
locals, a group of young Arab immigrants, stand at the bar and drink as they
stare at the unusual German specimen sitting alone, sipping a cola. On a whim, a young woman dares
Ali, a handsome, impenetrable Moroccan to dance with the lady. He approaches
her with not much interest or hesitation, and she agrees to dance with him with
equally weak excitement. But once they
embrace on the dance-floor an unexpected chemistry creeps between them. He
offers to walk her home, and when they arrive at her doorstep he ends up
staying the night.
What unfolds next is a
Shakespearean love story against all odds. Emmi and Ali fall quickly in love
and decide to marry. Beyond their difference in age, the fact that Ali is an
Arab immigrant causes disapproval and revulsion from Emmi’s children,
neighbors, and coworkers who cast her as a “whore”. From day to night, Emmi
loses every sense of comfort and kinship she had established throughout her
quiet life. But despite being ostracized by everyone, she tries to ignore the
hatred and find comfort in her unwithering love for Ali.
Brigitte Mira’s
performance as Emmi is incredibly moving, embodying many women at once. She has
the dreams of a young romantic girl, the disillusions of a lonely widow, and
the naiveté of an innocent soul. Her eyes throughout the film are that of a
woman in love: deep, glossy and dazed. When Emmi meets Ali, she becomes
overwhelmed with adoration and the comfort of companionship, the promise of not
dying alone. But after the magic begins to wear off for Ali, he strays away
from her into the arms of another woman. Confused by his distance, Emmi begins
to feel she’s lost everything.
But people’s frivolity,
selfishness, and hypocrisy is quickly exposed once life starts shifting back to
normal. The neighbors conveniently use Ali’s youthful strength to help with
errands around the building, and the owner of the local market welcomes Emmi
back into his store after he fears he is losing business.
Ali: Fear Eats the Soul is a window into the pettiness and irony of our
society. It reveals subtle yet deep human inclinations toward hatred, racism,
and fear. But there’s a ray of hope; at the end of this story, love is stronger
than fear. In the final scene, when Emmi searches for Ali in the bar, they
dance again holding each other close. Ali confesses he has slept with other
women and Emmi, simply responds “When we’re together, we must be nice to one another.” They
embrace again, finding haven in each other’s arms.
