Fear Eats the Soul
1974 · Movie · NR · 93 min · ★ 7.7 · 95% critics
A lonely older cleaning woman finds unexpected companionship after meeting an immigrant worker at a neighborhood bar. When their bond quickly becomes a marriage, they face harsh judgment from family, neighbors, and coworkers, forcing them to navigate prejudice, isolation, and their own doubts about what the future can hold.
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Details
- Original title
- Angst essen Seele auf
- Years
- 1974
- Release date
- 1974-03-05
- Language
- German
- Rated
- NR
- Runtime
- 93 min
- Critic score
- 95/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.7/10 (453 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a humane, often uncomfortable romance about loneliness and everyday prejudice, with sharp social observation; Not for you if you need light escapism or clear-cut resolutions, like in The Marriage of Maria Braun.
Pros: poignant romance; tense social pressure; strong central performances | Cons: bleak tone; some dated elements; uneven later focus
Themes
- husband wife relationship
- unsociability
- parent child relationship
- germany
- cleaning lady
- foreigner
- german-turkish living together
- munich, germany
- older woman younger man relationship
- new german cinema
- age-gap relationship
Awards & recognition
- Silver nugget — the best foreign film · 1975
- Prize of the Ecumenical Jury Cannes
Cast & crew
- BM
Brigitte Mira
as Emmi Kurowski
El Hedi ben Salem
as Ali
Irm Hermann
as Krista
Barbara Valentin
as Barbara
Elma Karlowa
as Mrs. Kargus
- AB
Anita Bucher
as Mrs. Ellis
Gusti Kreissl
as Paula
Doris Mattes
as Mrs. Angermayer
Margit Symo
as Hedwig
Katharina Herberg
as Bardame
Directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder