Fear Eats the Soul is the story of Emmi (Brigitte Mira), a German widow who seeks refuge from rain one evening by ducking into a bar. Once inside, she is asked to dance by a man who is called “Ali” (El Hedi ben Salem), a Moroccan immigrant worker 20 years younger than her whose real name is never revealed. The two become friends and soon get married. The rest of the film is about the adversity the couple faces, from both internal and external forces. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul is ultimately a noteworthy, great film. Fassbender's portrayal of a relationship based less on genuine love than on desperation, which survives due to the determination of its members to persevere, is convincing, even in its obviously contrived moments.
The level of realism is actually reinforced by the fictional love Emmi and Ali convince themselves exists between them, and the disapproval of the characters outside of the relationship is more than believable. Fassbinder's style of direction and filming techniques emphasize all of the right moments to play on the audience's emotions. A combination of the plot, universal themes, direction, and manipulation of character make this film a good one.
Fear Eats the Soul is a tale told in almost snapshot-like scenes-from Emmi's entrance of the bar, to the scene in which she tells Ali to “get used to German food,” to the part where Emmi is alienated by her friends at work. The plot pieces together the moments that truly impact this relationship between two entirely different people; it shows how unfair both Emmi and Ali can be, and how each is wounded by the words and actions of others. The concept of idealization is significant throughout the film, as the relationship between Ali and Emmi is based on little more than a chance interaction and the simple friendship that evolves over the course of one night. In their loneliness and desperation to find companionship in what seems to each a cruel environment-Emmi's view due to the loss of her husband and distance of her children, Ali's due to a tremendous sense of displacement and a lack of acceptance in German society-the characters construct for themselves a delicate but enduring relationship.
In one scene, Ali brings home his wages for the week, and Emmi fantasizes over their good fortune, exclaiming, “We'll be rich, Ali! And we'll buy ourselves a little piece of heaven.” Ali replies with a deadpan, “Why heaven?” to which Emmi sweetly says, “Oh. Just a fancy of mine.” Emmi's idealism is the stronger of the two, but both believe enough to make a nonsensical relation seem plausible. Their connection is one in which all is forgiven, as is portrayed just when the situation seems irreparable. It is made apparent that there will be no reconciliation between the two, after Ali takes to sleeping with the barmaid (because she cooks him the couscous he is denied by his wife).
Just as the audience feels certain that the two characters have been separated and reunion is impossible, Emmi returns to the bar to reenact the scene of her meeting with Ali. He plays along, repeating his movements to an exact degree, asking her to dance once more. Once the two are together again, Emmi delivers the moral of the story-that nothing matters beyond the two being good to each other. The ending rather fizzles out, with Ali collapsing and being taken to the hospital for an ulcer in his stomach that has erupted. Beyond this, though, the film places on display the truth of humanity by showing the tenderness between two people who would normally never even interact on a basic level.
Fassbender's directorial techniques lend a hand to the fairy tale aspects of the film, as well. His portrayal of so strained a relationship is one only he could achieve. In a situation where each partner involved brings to the table an issue of which he is somewhat ashamed, due to the condition of their society-Ali his status as a foreigner, Emmi her age-it would have been easy to make one monstrous while virtually ignoring the other, but Fassbinder treats both with a graceful and appropriate magnitude. He does not allow one to take center stage without immediately following it with the other-there is a constant duet, so far as the conflicts are concerned. In each problem, though, the characters are shown to suffer, both together and separately. Fassbinder's most effective shots, so far as employing symbolism to convey the innerworkings of the characters goes, are those in which Emmi and Ali each feel isolated.
Making use of framework, Fassbinder places characters in doorways or windows, transmitting to the audience the idea that this person is being outlined physically; the action of standing solitary in a doorframe or sitting alone on a staircase is like a neon sign announcing the severity of the isolation one is feeling. In this same vein, Fassbinder exercises unrealistic scenes in which a character or couple of characters appear to be the only people for miles. The restaurant Emmi and Ali dine in after being married appears to be completely empty, excepting the couple and the waiter who takes their order. Nearer to the end of the film, the pair is seen sitting on the terrace of a café, which is crowded with empty tables and chairs, while the only other people actually present are the wait staff, who stand meters off, staring and whispering at the oddity they see. This technique adds to the concept that the couple is isolated by society and there is a vast distance between their relationship and the mainstream.
