Saratw2:

It's good to hear about someone discovering my favorite director.  'Fear Eats the Soul' is a great one.  

You ought to check out 'The Merchant of Four Seasons' too.  It was made shortly before 'Ali,' and it's very similar as a sad (but vaguely off-beat) character study.  Also, I found the protagonist of 'Merchant' to be far more intriguing than the two lead characters in 'Ali.'