Ali: Fear Eats the Soul12A

Directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder | West Germany | 1974 | 1h 33m | Arabic & German w/ English subtitles | Starring Brigitte Mira, El Hedi ben Salem, Barbara Valentin, Irm Hermann, Elma Karlowa

During a rainstorm, a sixty-year-old German widow visits a bar frequented by Arab migrants and befriends a younger man from Morocco. As their friendship blossoms into romance, they face growing challenges from the xenophobic and ageist prejudice surrounding them. Renowned German filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder, inspired by his cinematic hero Douglas Sirk, created a romantic melodrama of his own that is now widely regarded as a pinnacle of the New German Cinema movement of the 1970s.

Reviews

‘The performances are flawless; the themes remain timely.’
★★★★★
Wendy Ide, The Observer

‘Fassbinder made so many incredible films, but this is certainly up there with his finest.’
★★★★★
David Jenkin, Little White Lies

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed Ali: Fear Eats the Soul between July 7, 2024 and July 10, 2024.

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What else is on?

Today (Friday 15th May)

15:00

The North 15
2h 13m | Dutch w/ English subtitles
Reuniting after a decade, friends Chris and Lluis undertake a 600km hike across the Scottish Highlands. Shot in sequence, their journey along remote trails becomes a powerful study of friendship and the emotional terrain between reconciliation and self-discovery.

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18:00

Colours of Time 15
2h 6m | French w/ English subtitles
When cousins inherit a Normandy house, they uncover a hidden lineage linking them to ancestor Adèle Munier. As they retrace her journey to Paris amid Impressionism’s rise, past and present intertwine, revealing new identities and unexpected connections across generations.

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20:45

Rose of Nevada 15
1h 54m
When a long-lost fishing boat returns to a Cornish village, hope rises for renewal. Nick and newcomer Liam join a voyage, but return transformed and caught in a haunting time loop. Shot on grainy 16mm, Mark Jenkin (Bait) delivers a haunting, mind-bending folktale.

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Tomorrow (Saturday 16th May)

15:15

Rose of Nevada 15
1h 54m
When a long-lost fishing boat returns to a Cornish village, hope rises for renewal. Nick and newcomer Liam join a voyage, but return transformed and caught in a haunting time loop. Shot on grainy 16mm, Mark Jenkin (Bait) delivers a haunting, mind-bending folktale.

Book here

18:00

The Duke of Burgundy 18
+ Director Q&A
1h 44m
Lovers Cynthia and Evelyn sustain a ritualised relationship shaped by control and desire. As tensions surface, a hypnotic drama explores shifting power and intimacy through striking visuals and a haunting atmosphere. Plus a post-screening Q&A with director Peter Strickland.

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21:00

Pillion 18
1h 47m
A quiet traffic warden life radically shifts when a domineering biker draws him into an unexpected BDSM relationship. Harry Lighton’s fearless BAFTA-nominated debut blends comedy, kink, and tenderness, starring Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgård.

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Plan your visit

Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road.We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We only show a few adverts – less than most cinemas – and we only play a couple of trailers, so please don’t be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!