Film German Film Forum 2015/16 - Director in Focus – Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Angst essen Seele auf + After-screening Talk
1974, 91 mins, Germany, IIBAwards:
1974 Cannes Film Festival – FIPRESCI Prize, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury
1974 German Film Awards – Film Award in Gold, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Fassbinder includes this film in his personal top ten favorite German films and ranked it eighth in the top ten of his own films. Both aesthetically and dramatically, this film pays homage to Douglas Sirk’s “All That Heaven Allows”, in which racism is critically reviewed. Brigitte Mira took up the character Emmi, a lonely 60-year-old cleaning woman, who falls in love with, and marries Ali, a much younger Moroccan guest worker. Emmi’s family and neighbors disapprove of their relationship until they realize they can profit from it. But the pressure is too much for both of them.
After-screening Talk: Winnie Fu, Programmer of Hong Kong Film Archive, and Dr. Gabriele Gauler, Director of Goethe-Institut Hongkong, will talk about their personal views on Fassbinder and his films.