Principal cast
Brigitte Mira, El Hedi ben Salem, Irm Hermann, Barbara Valentin and Elma Karlowa
Film 140 of 498 on the Screen Path
Ali: Fear Eats the Soul
About the film
Ali: Fear Eats the Soul at a glance.
Screen Path places this 1974 film at stop 140 in one curated journey through cinema. The learning experience adds context before you watch and deeper analysis after.
Emmi Kurowski, a cleaning lady, is lonely in her old age. Her husband died years ago, and her grown children offer little companionship. One night she goes to a bar frequented by Arab immigrants and strikes up a friendship with middle-aged mechanic Ali. Their relationship soon develops into something more, and Emmi's family and neighbors criticize their spontaneous marriage. Soon Emmi and Ali are forced to confront their own insecurities about their future.
Key craft credits
Jürgen Jürges (director of photography), Thea Eymèsz (editor) and Rainer Werner Fassbinder (original music composer)
- Director
- Rainer Werner Fassbinder
- Release
- 1974-03-05
- Runtime
- 93 minutes
- Genres
- Romance and Drama
- Country
- Germany
- Quiz
- 20 questions
The Screen Path journey
Before. After. Remember.
The featured film is watched outside Screen Path. The app provides the learning experience around it: a guide, an analysis, and a quiz with explanations.
01
Before you watch
Start with a spoiler-free video guide to the context and filmmaking choices worth noticing.
Spoiler-free02
After the film
Return after watching for a deeper video analysis of craft, meaning, and legacy.
Contains spoilers03
Quiz yourself
Answer 20 questions with clear rationales designed to make the ideas stick.
20 questions in this journeyCitizen Kane is the complete public example: both learning videos and a five-question sample quiz are available below.
Start the example →Full cast
Full cast
- Brigitte MiraCharacter: Emmi Kurowski
- El Hedi ben SalemCharacter: Ali
- Irm HermannCharacter: Krista
- Barbara ValentinCharacter: Barbara
- Elma KarlowaCharacter: Mrs. Kargus
- Anita BucherCharacter: Mrs. Ellis
- Gusti KreisslCharacter: Paula
- Doris MattesCharacter: Mrs. Angermayer
- Margit SymoCharacter: Hedwig
- Katharina HerbergCharacter: Bardame
- Lilo PempeitCharacter: Mrs. Munchmeyer
- Walter SedlmayrCharacter: Mr. Angermayer
Full crew
Full crew
- Rainer Werner FassbinderCredits: Director, Producer, Original Music Composer, Production Design, Screenplay
- Jürgen JürgesCredits: Director of Photography
- Fritz Müller-ScherzCredits: Sound Designer
- Thea EymèszCredits: Editor
- Peter GauheCredits: Still Photographer
Film data and images provided by TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.