‘The Tasters’ Review: Unsettling portrayal of women trying Hitler’s food

Originally published in The Indiependent on 20 March 2026

(Source: Lumière & Co)

A group of women sit around a table, eat dishes destined for Hitler’s lips, and wait to see if anyone collapses. They’re testing whether the food has been poisoned as part of an assassination attempt. These young German women, recruited during the Second World War, are known as The Tasters.

★★★★☆

Directed and co-written by Silvio Soldini, The Tasters is a wartime drama film adapted from Rosella Postorino’s historical novel The Women at Hitler’s Table, in turn inspired by the account of the only surviving taster: Margot Wölk. In the film, Rosa, a young woman whose husband is fighting on the Russian front, leaves Berlin for a rural village to stay with her parents-in-law in 1943. She wants to escape from the bombing of the capital, but she finds herself facing another danger when the Nazi soldiers take her and other women to work as tasters.

Many wartime films set in Nazi Germany focus on grand historical narratives. Some depict the brutality of battle, such as All Quiet on the Western Front (2022); others celebrate heroism of ordinary people like Schindler’s List (1993); while some like The Zone of Interest (2023) explore the Nazi violence. The Tasters take a different approach by turning inward, examining the love, hatred and tension between a group of characters. Rosa and other tasters are bound together by circumstance, yet divided by urban-rural differences; Rosa and her parents-in-law are painfully tied by their anxiety for the same absent man; Rosa and a Nazi lieutenant, who have a strange sexual relationship. This is a story about how ordinary people navigate emotion, intimacy, and survival in the midst of historical violence. Although this is Soldini’s first period film, his sensitivity to the complexities of human relationships, a hallmark of his work, remains central.

While some may find the narrative understated, it successfully builds a deeply unsettling atmosphere. The war itself rarely appears directly on screen, but its presence is felt through distant explosions and rumours spreading through the village. It shows how war and its devastation seep into the most ordinary corners of life.

Scenes of the women eating and waiting at the Nazi HQ are also very powerful. Often shot from high angles or restrained eye-level perspectives, they create the impression that the women are constantly under surveillance. The food itself is never detailed, the tasters just swallow anonymous soups and vegetables day after day. This food is not sustaining, but threatening. The cinematography heightens the tension and transforms each bite into a moment of dread, making the scenes highly disturbing and oppressive.  

War, authoritarianism, and human relationships - these elements are tied with the central theme of food. The tasters are connected because of their common ‘privilege’ of enjoying feasts while the country starves. Dinner at home becomes a ritual of endurance as Rosa and her parents-in-law support one another around the table, and her mother-in-law bakes to stay hopeful for her son. The idea of hunger also extends beyond physical; it becomes symbolic of the desire for love, companionship and intimacy. In The Tasters, the everyday act of eating acquires a quiet historical weight.

Colour also plays an important role in shaping the film’s mood. Much of the visual palette is dominated by cold blues and greys, but warmth occasionally breaks through - particularly when the characters forge moments of connection outside their roles as tasters and officers. One of the most notable scenes is when the women enjoy their break in a small backyard, casually gossiping and playing on swings. Even the officers who supervise them let them smoke, and sometimes join their chats. This backyard is their oasis, coloured with earthy tones of the green trees and gentle sunlight on the characters’ faces. The contrast with the HQ not only highlights the film’s key tension, but also shows how glimpses of humanity can exist alongside cruel oppression.  

The Verdict

Although the plot of The Tasters is not as dramatic as other wartime films, it captures the painful intersection between private life and historical catastrophe through sensitive performances, muted visuals, and carefully controlled cinematography. It showcases a quiet yet emotionally powerful exploration of oppression, survival, and the persistence of humanity.