Phil Roberts 
Filled with dread, anxiety, and heartbreak, Silvio Soldini’s The Tasters is a harrowing tale that optimizes the heinous crimes of Hitler’s regime.
We all love a historical drama. Whether it’s a war drama or a retelling of historical events, there is something compelling hidden amongst the subtext. But when a film comes along offering us the opportunity to sit at Hitler’s dining table, we sit up and take notice. Enter Silvio Soldini’s The Tasters. Based on an account given to a German newspaper in 2012 by the then 95-year-old Margot Wölk, the film follows a group of German women, forcibly enlisted to sample the Führer’s meals. According to Wölk’s memoir, in the peak of WWII, Hitler was so paranoid that his inner circle was trying to kill him, that he forced young women to sample every dish that was due to pass his lips. Soldini’s tale brings her story to life with chilling conviction.
However, without any verified evidence to support her claims, does Margot Wölk’s version of events make for compelling viewing? Or does Silvio Soldini’s latest effort amount to little more than a baseless slice of false war drama suggested by the novel by Rosella Postorino?
REVIEW
Fear not, dear readers, because Silvio Soldini’s The Tasters is a haunting and tense retelling of the traumas endured by Adolf Hitler’s meal tasters. Filled with dread, anxiety, and heartbreak, it’s a harrowing tale. Expertly crafted and beautifully shot, the film is a poignant slice of plausible wartime history. Whether the validity of Wölk’s account is true or not, the film makes for chilling viewing, highlighting the barbarism of Hitler’s hierarchy. With its chilling tone, oppressive atmosphere, infectious directorial style, and a superbly wounded performance by Elisa Schlott, the film is a worthy addition to your war movie watchlist. Fact or fiction, it’s definitely a worthy watch.
HISTORICAL ACCURACYÂ
Leading the film is Elisa Schlott, who portrays the fictional Rosa, a young woman from Berlin whose soldier husband is missing on the Eastern Front. After heavy bombing in the city, she escapes to her in-laws’ home in East Prussia, near Hitler’s Wolf’s Lair military headquarters. One day, the Nazis come for Rosa and load her onto a van with six other terrified young women. Unbeknownst to them, their mission is to taste every one of Hitler’s meals to ensure he hasn’t been poisoned by any of his inner circle.
From the opening moments, the film establishes itself as a heavy, gritty slice of war cinema. The atmosphere is oppressive, and the German people’s mindset is jarring. What’s more, the characterisation of the German military remains historically accurate, complete with its brutal tactics. Silvio Soldini deserves praise for crafting such a tyrannical atmosphere. It feels instantly authentic, giving the audience something tangible to chew on, like The Zone of Interest without the mass slaughter. On one side of history, you have Germans steadfast in their support of Hitler, while other members of the same family loathe his regime and long for him to lose the war.
PASSING THE TASTE TEST
Nevertheless, after being forced into a truck and transported to Hitler’s Wolf’s Lair, Nazi headquarters, Rosa and her companions are invited to eat a lavish meal. Given the period, the German people were giving up their food rations to supply the Third Reich, so the invitation to eat is a rare delight. So, at the behest of their Nazi soldier chaperones, the women sit down and enjoy their lavish meal. Only after they’ve eaten every course does Hitler’s personal chef enter the room to reveal the truth behind their feast.
What follows is an exploration of their daily routine, showcasing the mental torture these women were forced to endure, all the while taking a deep dive into Hitler’s paranoia towards the end of the war. The scenes of the food tasting are deeply uncomfortable. Even when the women recoil in fear, they are greeted with the muzzle of a gun in their faces and a screaming Nazi demanding they eat. If they refuse, they are shot. If they continue to eat, they run the risk of food poisoning and certain death.
WAR TIME
The film follows the war through to the very end, spanning several months, with each episode upping the ante as the women face a game of Russian roulette with every mouthful. Throughout, Soldini works diligently to add depth to each woman through character-driven side stories, with mixed success. Alma Hasun’s Elfriede stands out as the most developed. She quickly becomes Rosa’s close confidant, but is later revealed to be hiding a dark secret that will have serious consequences for her. But it’s Rosa who suffers from her expanding storyline. Despite being a dedicated wife to her missing husband, she spends much of the film enjoying sexual encounters with Max Riemelt’s Nazi war criminal, Albert Ziegler, who holds the fate of her and her colleagues in his grasp.
The film often highlights Rosa for her bravery and willingness to stand up to the regime, so the sudden urge to embark on a sexual relationship with her oppressor seems a little out of character. For the most part, Riemelt plays the character with chilling ease, optimizing the stereotypical Nazi officer with zeal. But aside from his sexual adventures with Rosa, he has very little to do aside from offering some much-needed menace.
VISUALS AND SOUNDTRACK
Where the film excels is in its brilliantly immersive atmosphere, the grounded cinematography by Renato Berta, and the haunting soundtrack by Mauro Pagani. Like the Zone of Interest, the film excels with its depiction of the Nazi oppression and the jarring tales the characters reveal. From Max Riemelt delivering a monologue as Albert Ziegler, revealing to Rosa the extent of the abhorrent war crimes he has committed, to Rosa’s emotional rollercoaster ride, the film works well to reveal the true horror of war.
Pagani’s intense score accentuates the narrative with a soundcape of poignance and intensity. Likewise, Berta’s beautiful cinematography highlights the story’s juxtaposition, playing out like a beautiful dress that hides a twisted, mangled body beneath. The wonderful forest landscape is easy on the eye, all the while some of the worst atrocities are played out beneath its canopy. In the end, it’s a jarring experience that will stay with its audience long after the credits roll.
VERDICT
Overall, The Tasters is a compelling slice of wartime drama that should be enjoyed with a grain of salt. Setting aside its historical accuracy, the film delivers an intense, harrowing experience that will resonate with every viewer. At 123 minutes, it’s a deliberately slow burn that keeps twisting and turning throughout its runtime. The characters and atmosphere feel genuine, making the film a fascinating period piece worth experiencing.Â
Whether the story is historically accurate remains to be seen. However, given the depth of Hitler’s paranoia toward the end of the war, I wouldn’t put it past him to use his own people as de facto guinea pigs. While his actions in this film are deplorable, Soldini successfully makes us sympathize with the German women being put through hell to ensure his reign, and that is worth the price of admission. If the narrative is true, it only intensifies the horrors of Hitler’s regime. If it’s historically inaccurate, Soldini has crafted a perfectly acceptable war film that deserves its place among the best contemporary war movies.
So book a table at the Wolf’s Lair and enjoy all the hospitality the Führer has to offer. Just prepared to leave with a bad taste in your mouth.
The Tasters brings the terror of Hitler’s kitchen to cinemas from Friday.
Meet Phil Roberts! He’s the dedicated owner, daily content manager, and editor-in-chief of The Future of the Force. Phil is a budding novelist who turned his passion toward writing about the franchises he loves back in 2016. He’s a huge fan of all things Star Wars, Batman, DC, Marvel, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, King Kong, and the Ray Harryhausen movies. Phil is a BFI-accredited journalist and a distinguished member of the Film Critics Association UK.
If he’s not catching a movie at the cinema, you can bet he’s streaming something just as awesome!
