"We'll be rich, Ali... and we'll buy ourselves a little piece of heaven."

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974)
Directed by R.W. Fassbinder, not rated, 94 minutes

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul is a simple but powerful German romantic drama about an older German woman who meets a much younger, foreign guest worker one night and falls in love with him. The story doesn't sugarcoat the sad reality of prejudices of that time, but also doesn't back away from showing the imperfect relationship of the main characters, which makes the social commentary even more effective. Fassbinder's subdued visual style complements the story, adding realism while also beautifully capturing both wonderful and depressing moments. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul was inspired by the powerful melodrama of Douglas Sirk, but Fassbinder takes its emotion to a new level with more realistic characters and an unsentimental ending. You'll like it if: You like films about forbidden love, German New Wave, All That Heaven Allows, Harold and Maude or The Third Generation.