Quirky film driven by the unlikely relationship between an elderly German cleaning lady and a Moroccan car mechanic, 25 years her junior, living in Munich. The film is fascinating for the way that it illustrates the tricky inter-relationship between diverse social groups including German bar waitresses, blue collar Arab immigrants, the aging German generation (Emmi's co-workers and neighbors) who came of age in the Hitler era of secrecy and deception as well as the younger generation of "hip" Germans living the urban life. This scene (Caution: contains spoilers) not only shows the great acting of the two lead characters but it also illustrates the tension between various German social groups.
The film is also quite interesting for the high unintentional comedy factor of the 1970s setting which at times feels like an Austin Powers spoof. The dress, painting and curtains in this shot (see picture on the right) say it all. Additionally, Ali is shown on several instances in his... umm full glory. In a sense though, this is a theme of both this film and some of Fassbinder's other works: when life and people are completely exposed, its messy, and the inherent tension between them is both enjoyable and cringeworthy. Even the German title of the film (Angst Essen Seeke Auf ) is actually written in broken German and seems to be meant to further illustrate this "messiness" of real life.
As a stand-alone story, Ali is fascinating but the background of Fassbinder and the lead actors are also larger than life. Fassbinder and El Hedi ben Salem, who plays Ali, had a tumultous personal and professional relationship, and both died unexpectedly (Fassbinder of a drug overdose in the early 80s and El Hedi ben Salem of suicide in jail after having been convicted of murder). Brigitte Mira, who plays the female lead, actually lived to the ripe old age of 95 years old and was married 5 times!
In today's world of film, these eccentric character-driven indy films made on tiny budgets are ubiquitous, proving that Fassbinder's mark on the cinema is still alive and well today. GreenCine Daily reports that a film about Fassbinder's life is currently in the works, so perhaps we'll see a rise in the popularity of his films as well.
The film is also quite interesting for the high unintentional comedy factor of the 1970s setting which at times feels like an Austin Powers spoof. The dress, painting and curtains in this shot (see picture on the right) say it all. Additionally, Ali is shown on several instances in his... umm full glory. In a sense though, this is a theme of both this film and some of Fassbinder's other works: when life and people are completely exposed, its messy, and the inherent tension between them is both enjoyable and cringeworthy. Even the German title of the film (Angst Essen Seeke Auf ) is actually written in broken German and seems to be meant to further illustrate this "messiness" of real life.As a stand-alone story, Ali is fascinating but the background of Fassbinder and the lead actors are also larger than life. Fassbinder and El Hedi ben Salem, who plays Ali, had a tumultous personal and professional relationship, and both died unexpectedly (Fassbinder of a drug overdose in the early 80s and El Hedi ben Salem of suicide in jail after having been convicted of murder). Brigitte Mira, who plays the female lead, actually lived to the ripe old age of 95 years old and was married 5 times!
In today's world of film, these eccentric character-driven indy films made on tiny budgets are ubiquitous, proving that Fassbinder's mark on the cinema is still alive and well today. GreenCine Daily reports that a film about Fassbinder's life is currently in the works, so perhaps we'll see a rise in the popularity of his films as well.
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