German Film Review: Fear Eats the Soul by Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Angst essen Seele auf (Fear eats the soul) is directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder and stars Brigitte Mira and El Hedi ben Salem. The film follows Mira as Emmi, an older German woman who is a mother of three adult children and a widow who meets and falls in love with Ali, a much younger migrant worker from Morocco.

This was my first foray into Fassbinder’s filmography, and I must say it’s brilliantly shot. I love all the claustrophobic framing through doors, which reflects the crushing limits society puts upon the protagonists. Likewise, the scene outside amongst the sunshine-yellow tables is a particularly beautiful moment, but it again adds to the idea of isolation as the couple are completely alone; they can have a tender moment in public only because the scene is unpopulated by other prying eyes.

But what’s most shocking and really quite sad is that a film made in the 1970s about racism, ageism and prejudice feels just as relevant now, and while we have progressed slightly, we are nowhere near to where we need to be!

Fear Eats the Soul is a must-watch and a great introduction to a master of German cinema. I’m intrigued to watch more of his films, one for the fact that Fassbinder was a filmmaker that dared to push boundaries and famously proclaimed, ‘I don’t throw bombs, I make films.’ and because Fear was just such a great place to start.