---
title: "Ali: Fear Eats the Soul: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/ali-fear-eats-the-soul/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/ali-fear-eats-the-soul"
critics_score: 84
critics_reviews: 8
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974): what the critics said

Critics' score 84 from 8 reviews: 7 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative.

Most critics respond warmly to Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, with praise clustering around its tenderness, its attack on prejudice and Fassbinder’s precise visual staging. The reviews repeatedly describe framing, mirrors and camerawork that make Emmi and Ali’s isolation visible without overwhelming the romance. Performances and dialogue also draw praise, while several accounts stress how affecting the relationship remains alongside the film’s scrutiny of racism.

The spread runs from moderate approval to strong enthusiasm, though the available summaries contain few explicit complaints. Slant Magazine stresses the film’s hopefulness despite the persistence of racism; Empire places more weight on the social pressures constraining the couple. This is chiefly a difference of emphasis, rather than a clear dispute about the filmmaking. The single mixed score has no verifiable accompanying verdict, so it offers no firm basis for identifying a contrary critical argument.

## Little White Lies — David Jenkins

Rating 5/5/5. 30 March 2017. 

Jenkins calls the film one of the great romantic films of the 1970s and among Fassbinder’s finest. He praises its bold romantic framing, eloquent dialogue and subtle poeticism.

[Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/ali-fear-eats-the-soul)

## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez

Rating 4/4. 31 August 2003. 

Gonzalez views the film as a socially incisive, ultimately hopeful work that still recognizes how little racism has truly changed. He praises Fassbinder’s spare framing devices for making Emmi and Ali’s isolation visible.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/ali-fear-eats-the-soul/)

## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert

Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 

The Great Movies URL identifies this as a retrospective review, though the page itself was inaccessible. The review’s specific praise cannot be verified from the available page text.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-ali-fear-eats-the-soul-1974)

## The Guardian — Wendy Ide

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 2 April 2017. 

Ide presents the film as a searing, still-timely attack on prejudice. She singles out the flawless performances and immaculately staged drama for praise.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/apr/02/ali-fear-eats-the-soul-review-rainer-werner-fassbinder-bfi-mubi)

## Empire — David Parkinson

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 5 April 2006. 

Parkinson finds the drama affecting and moving, while warning that the social forces that bring the couple together will ultimately drive them apart. He singles out Fassbinder’s use of mirrors and visual style for making their relationship and its constraints resonate.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/fear-eats-soul-review/)

## Time Out

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 15 March 2012. 

The page presents the film as one of Fassbinder’s less cynical works and describes it as a gentle romance. It singles out the relationship between an elderly white woman and a young Arab man as the story’s focus.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/newyork/film/ali-fear-eats-the-soul-1)

## The New York Times

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 23 November 1990. 

The review’s verdict cannot be verified from the available page. No specific praise or complaint is visible in the accessible material.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/23/movies/review-film-floating-and-stinging-forever-ali.html)

## Eye for Film — Leanne McGrath

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 14 September 2006. 

McGrath calls the film unmissable for its sharp attack on prejudice and its touching story. She especially praises Fassbinder’s masterful camerawork, which makes the couple’s isolation and dehumanisation painfully visible.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/fear-eats-the-soul-film-review-by-leanne-mcgrath)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/ali-fear-eats-the-soul.md