Watch 'Ali: Fear Eats the Soul' Online Streaming (Full Movie)

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul

1974, Movie, 1h 33min

The wildly prolific German filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder paid homage to his cinematic hero Douglas Sirk with this update of that filmmaker’s 1955 ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS. A lonely widow (Brigitte Mira) meets a much younger Arab worker (El Hedi ben Salem) in a bar during a rainstorm. They fall in love, to their own surprise—and to the outright shock of their families, colleagues, and drinking buddies. In ALI: FEAR EATS THE SOUL, Fassbinder expertly wields the emotional power of classic Hollywood melodrama to expose the racial tensions underlying contemporary German culture.

Country: Germany

Director:

Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Cast:

Rainer Werner Fassbinder,

Kurt Raab,

Irm Hermann,

Hark Bohm

Reviews

Critic Wendy Ide

rated

This immaculately staged drama, a loose remake of Douglas Sirk’s All That Heaven Allows, is Fassbinder’s assault on the intolerance of 1970s German society.

Read full review at The Guardian

Critic Peter Bradshaw

rated

The performances of Brigitte Mira and El Hedi Ben Salem as Emmi and Ali are superb; they act with instant sympathy and charm and in their own way, they are the most purely lovable characters I have ever seen on a movie screen.

Read full review at The Guardian

Critic David Parkinson

rated

Affecting and moving drama that really explores the selfish nature behind human actions.

Read full review at Empire

Critic David Jenkins

rated

Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s subversive romantic masterpiece...

Read full review at Little White Lies

Frequently asked questions

What is Ali: Fear Eats the Soul about? Toggle content

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul is a powerful and poignant drama that explores the complexities of interracial relationships in 1970s West Germany. The film follows the story of Emmi, a 60-year-old widow who falls in love with Ali, a young Moroccan guest worker. Despite their differences in age, culture, and background, they find solace and happiness in each other's company. However, their relationship is met with resistance and hostility from their neighbors, colleagues, and even family members, who view their love as taboo and unacceptable. As they face increasing discrimination and prejudice, Emmi and Ali are forced to confront the harsh realities of a society that fears and resents those who are different. Will their love survive in a world that seems determined to tear them apart?

Where can I stream Ali: Fear Eats the Soul? Toggle content

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul is currently unavailable to stream in undefined on the streaming services we have in our catalogue

What movies are similar to Ali: Fear Eats the Soul? Toggle content

Some movies that have similar genres and were produced around the same time as Ali: Fear Eats the Soul include Grease, Immoral Tales, The Electric Horseman, Breezy, In the Realm of the Senses, The Way We Were.