The Edinburgh Filmhouse is currently showcasing a season a films by acclaimed German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Fear Eats the Soul was released in 1974 and was Fassbinder’s international breakthrough after winning the critics prize at the Cannes Film Festival. The movie was developed after a brief period when Fassbinder concentrated on television work and showcases his obsession with the complexities of love.

When viewing Fear Eats the Soul in 2017 the poignancy of the movie could not be more obvious. Emmi (Brigitte Mira) is a lonely cleaning lady in her sixties. By chance she meets Ali (El Hedi ben Salem), a Moroccan migrant worker in his forties. Their relationship blossoms and eventually the pair get married. However, their loving partnership is shunned and looked down upon by gossiping neighbours, snooty family members and so-called friends. Emi and Ali are constantly under pressure. During the movie we are witness to blatant discrimination, racism and ageism. The viewer is frequently exposed to conversations about migrant workers and how they are taking jobs from the local population. Emmi’s family react negatively to the marriage and the age difference of the couple is of much amusement to Ali’s friends. Despite this, the couple endeavour to live their lives and find happiness.

Fassbinder concentrates on the bullying nature of discrimination and this makes the abuse that Emmi and Ali receive feel extremely personal. The segregation and exclusion that they encounter cuts right to the bone and Emmi’s ignorant colleagues seem petty and immature.  This exclusion also causes a rift in Emmi and Ali’s relationship and asks the viewer to consider if this is a love conquers all story after all. This division is the turning point in the movie and exposes Fassbinder’s intelligence as a filmmaker. What could have been a feel good conclusion to Fear Eats the Soul, ends up being a bitter sweet melodrama that asks the audience to draw their own assumptions on the future of the seemingly happy couple. Fassbinder himself appears in the film as the lazy and slovenly worker called Eugen. This is an un-credited role and his character exemplifies the small mindedness of the people who make Emmi and Ali’s life a misery.

The Fassbinder Season continues at the Edinburgh Filmhouse, with another four features films being screened in June. The selection includes Effie Briest, Fox and His Friends and Despair. Fassbinder released over forty features films in his short career, so the Filmhouse has done well to whittle down the season to only six movies.