Fassbinder's prejudices revealed? Or not?

I thought the Fassbinder made a film that was very honest in its depiction of racism in Germany and other countries. He may have exaggerated the reactions of most of Emmi's friends, relatives, neighbors and co-workers but I would not say by very much, especially in that particular time frame. Not only was there prejudice because of color and ethnicity but also because of age. When people are unhappy with their own lives they like to focus on others and make them feel insecure about their situations. Emmi was a very strong individual and a bit too naive about human nature and so she fought the prejudice even though it hurt her. Ali is a totally different story. I didn't find him to have shady motives and/or sexual promiscuity although he was some what of an enigma until the end of the movie. He was a man living in a foreign country and trying to get by even though it was extremely stressful for him. On the outside he seemed to be very calm and in control but spoiler: in reality his existence was eating him up inside and he tried to find solace any way he could. I believe he really loved Emmi because she was a calming influence and not judgemental. Only when he feels she was not there for him and doubts her love does he seek solace in another woman. In the end the question is whether their love will be strong enough to keep him healthy and keep her content. Their physical love is not what is important to Emmi...it is their emotional attachment that is strong and will hopefully keep them together.

"We must go, darling, we have the Bishop for lunch..."
"I hope he's tender."

nearly all of fassbinders movies deal with the 'ideal' human relationships, versus 'real' human relationships.. there are always attract/repel themes in his storylines, sometimes this conflict [which he concludes is an inevitable and natural part of human nature] degenerates the relationship beyond repair and even drives his characters to moments of absurd violence, or sometimes the characters realize the faults in their patterns before it's too late and manage to create kind of balance through acts of compromise.. its also interesting to note that this movie was made while fassbinder was in a relationship with salem, the lead actor who plays Ali ,and that the emi character is most probably based on how fassbinder percieved himself, short, uncomfortable and unattractive compared to the bold mannerist physique of ali. at one point in their brief and tumultuous relationship, fassbinder cheated on him and salem went mad, stabbing a man to death in a bar fight, was sent to prison, and committed suicide in his cell.
i assume ali's faults were based on mistakes fassbinder had made in his own life, he was notorious his temper, drug abuse and homosexual promiscuity.

Fassbinder, as an "auteur" (director with a very peculiar style) treats the "prejudice/racism/leftouts" theme very often. And I feel he does it in a way that neither disclaims it or condones it... it simply is a way of life. As for Ali's actions, it is very interesting to notice how Fassbinder creates characters that are very difficult to relate to. And in order to achieve that, they must be in some ways contradictory, therefore creating confusion as to what Ali's (or the movie's in general) motives, values and feelings are. Hope this helps to understand (or at least consider) the movie a different way.

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i dont think it's meant t be offensive. Ali si in many ways a simpleton, but the film is from the german perspective, albeit a jaded perspective filled with resentment. He is not simple, but he does eem fairly naive about things in western Europe, which actually endears the audience more towards him because we can see it's realyy society and not him who is at fault for the events that conspire against him and Emmi.

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This has occurred to me as well - although like you, I'm not sure what to make of it. One of the frustrating things in the film for me was Ali's motives.

A great movie in either case.

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It's interesting that you read Ali's actions this way. I believe that Ali's affair with his former lover (the barmaid) is a result of Emmi's new objectifying nature. When she was ostracized for her relationship with Ali, she never exploits or objectifies him. However, once people begin to filter back into her life, she herself takes on the objectifying gaze as she exploits his " strong muscles." Not too mention her emphasis on his cleanliness. She says something to the effect of "He's clean and showers everyday." Thus implying that Arabs are not clean people. When Emmi refuses to learn to cook him couscous, after all Germans don't eat it anyways, Ali is pushed to his limit and looks for solace within the barmaid. I don't think anything about Ali is intrinsically "shady." After all, he sticks up for her when others refer to her as an old woman.


"Anti-wrinkle cream there may be, but anti-fat-bastard cream there is not."

No you missed the point. This movie is called fear eats the soul, because his soul is erroded by the painful silences, by the hatred, the mind games... it has crippled him to the point he can't even have the guts to turn a woman down, even though he knows that it will hurt him and Emmi more and more, but he can't turn away from it because he doesn't have the energy to stand up for what he wants in this emotionally cold climate, because when he's around all these lifeless people, he becomes part of them, and... that's pretty much it