Ali: Love, Prejudice, and Space

Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s Ali: Fear Eats the Soul is one of a collection of films that has a strong commentary on cultural assimilation, racism and acceptance, as well as interracial marriage. In this particular film, Fassbinder poses a question of how the two characters Emmi and Ali, a German woman and Arab man, living in a bigoted society, endure hatred as their love is put in jeopardy. He captures the quintessence of this question through a number of visual motifs to draw attention to the story of oppression, particularly with the composition of deep and limited space. The use of space in Fassbinder’s Ali: Fear Eats the Soul indicates the alienation that the interracial couple faces in the film and how the racist oppression complicates their love and desire, reflecting the anti-immigrant notion that existed in the German mindset during the 1970s when the film was made.

One essence of deep space that expresses the complication of Emmi and Ali’s interracial relationship is one that visually depicts how deep their love is between each other. The opening shot of the film where Emmi enters the bar and sees Ali is composed using deep space. As the scene progresses, they share a share a romantic dance together depicted with a number of intimate close ups, and it is followed by a wide shot in deep space again as the two part ways. These deeply composed shots reflect the inner feelings of the two characters once their romance sparks. Fassbinder persists with this use of space to convey adoration in the scene after Emmi and Ali are married. The two newlyweds walked down the paved city streets in a shot that is deeply composed, highlighting how passionate their love is since they took their vows as spouses. Another instance can be found in the patio scene as the two share lunch together at a German cafe. As they sit at the table outside and express adoration for each other, they are framed in one very deep wide shot — one of the deepest shots in the entire film. The deep focus that the shot contains reflects their deep and passionate love for each other, a love that is so intense that it hurts because the social prejudice puts it in jeopardy, a pressure that would harass any interracial couple at this time.

While societal pressure is harming the couple in the film, Fassbinder uses this deep space additionally to show how exactly this tension makes them feel alone in society because their interracial relationship is not accepted by society. In the same cafe scene, a group of waiters and other restaurant patrons give Emmi and Ali ugly stares. Later in the scene, Emmi reveals how difficult it is being with Ali because the world around them does not accept them being together as they are framed in deep space. In fact, she even states that she wishes she was alone with him in the world, away from all of the bigotry that shames them for being together. However, they are, in a sense, alone because the societal pressure isolates them. Although they love in solitary, they are certainly not happy because of how the prejudice they experience marginalizes them. In this case, the deep space visually depicts them as being isolated in a society that is against them, a direct connection to preconceived notions of the 1970s German mindset.

Similar to deep space, Fassbinder’s use of limited space shows the complications of their interracial relationship because they are, like the type of space, limited and restricted by societal pressure. One way Fassbinder achieves this depiction of imprisonment is by using the environment in each composition to visually confine them. After Emmi and Ali are married, they celebrate over a meal at an upscale restaurant. There are no interactions with any characters who show hatred towards them. In fact, their experience is quite enjoyable. However, Fassbinder shows their bitter inner feelings through a shot composed of limited space, particularly by visually confining the couple as they are tightly framed by a doorframe in the restaurant. Fassbinder plays with this visual element even further in the scene in Emmi’s apartment were she confesses her fear of being with Ali because of social judgment. Fassbinder frames the two holding each other through a slightly ajar door, reflecting how limited their freedom is to express their love, just like any couple in a similar situation would face in the prejudice society at the time of this film.

The freedom of the couples’ love that is restricted by prejudice is put in jeopardy in some instances of the film, particularly when Ali cheats on Emmi with the German bartender from the Arab bar whom he had history with. Ali’s character, in a sense, feels so enraged by society’s hatred of publicly expressing his love for Emmi that he ends up returning to someone he is accustomed to, and possibly understands him. However, his character is still not satisfied with this decision, and Fassbinder captures this visually by framing him in yet another confining doorframe as he embraces and kisses the German bartender. Through this use of limited space, the audience can discern how societal ignorance is literally and visually trapping this couple.

Though limited space is a visual motif that illustrates the restrictions of Emmi and Ali in society that ignorance creates, Fassbinder’s use of limited space also visually accentuates the ignorance of the individual prejudice characters. There are many moments in the film that depict Emmi’s neighbors examining the interracial couple while silently judging them. Fassbinder composes the shots of these scrutinizing neighbors often with them looking through barred windows. These bars limit the space for these observant characters who stare at Emmi and Ali, embellishing that they are not viewing their interracial relationship with a clear perspective or an open mind which in reality did not exist at the time Ali was made.

Fassbinder also uses the placement of people in limited space compositions to draw attention to ignorance. The scene were Emmi visits her daughter and son-in-law who are disgusted with the influx of immigrants, particularly with Arabs like Ali, Emmi feels intimidated knowing that her and Ali’s interracial relationship would not be accepted by her family. However, as the two ignorant characters surround Emmi and discuss their hatred to the immigrants, and even calling them “swine,” she is visually confined between the other characters with the son-in-law in the immediate foreground and looking even more intimidating. In this case, the shot is doing double duty through accentuating the ignorance by framing the prejudice characters as formidable, but their stature in the frame is also visually trapping Emmi. Though in this scene she is silent about her relationship with Ali, visually the audience can comprehend that her interracial relationship with Ali would certainly not be accepted by her family or any German citizen with this mindset.

Just as Ali: Fear Eats the Soul provides an answer to the question, declaring that Emmi and Ali will have a difficult time with acceptance in a society teeming with prejudice, Fassbinder uses space as a visual indicator to highlight their socially shamed relationship. While he illustrates how deep Emmi and Ali’s love is, he conveys that they are in fact isolated because they not accepted. Furthermore, there absence of acceptance is embellished by the bigotry that shames and restricts their love from being expressive. Through these uses of space within Fassbinder’s repertoire of visual devices, Ali: Fear Eats the Soul communicates to the audience the social isolation and marginalization that the interracial couple faces in the film. This racist oppression that complicates their forbidden love is part of a larger story that directly reflects the societal prejudice against foreign immigrants that existed in many Germans during the time the film was made.