Set against the shadowy final years of World War II, The Tasters arrives in UK and Irish cinemas on 13th March 2026, distributed by MetFilm, as a tense and quietly devastating historical drama. Directed by Silvio Soldini, the film adapts At the Wolf’s Table by Rosella Postorino and brings to the screen an extraordinary true story that remained hidden for decades. Rather than depicting the war from the battlefield, Soldini narrows his focus to a dining table — and the unbearable silence before each bite.
The story centers on a group of young German women forced to act as food tasters for Adolf Hitler at his secluded military headquarters, the Wolf’s Lair. Every meal could be their last; every swallow carries the possibility of poison. It’s a premise that generates immediate suspense, but the film is less interested in melodrama than in the suffocating routine of fear. The repetition of shared meals becomes ritualistic; each scene layered with dread and moral ambiguity.
At the heart of the film is a performance of remarkable restraint from Elisa Schlott. She captures the internal conflict of a woman trapped between survival and complicity, conveying terror in the smallest gestures — a tightening jaw, a glance exchanged across the table. Max Riemelt and Alma Hasun provide strong support, but it is the collective dynamic among the women that gives the film its emotional pulse. Their fragile solidarity becomes both shield and burden, a reminder that even in oppressive systems, human connection endures.
What elevates The Tasters beyond a conventional wartime drama is its grounding in the testimony of Margot Wölk, who revealed in 2012 — at the age of 95 — that she had been one of Hitler’s tasters and the only one to survive the war. Soldini treats this history with sensitivity, avoiding sensationalism and instead leaning into the psychological cost of survival. The film asks difficult questions about power, fear and moral compromise without offering easy answers.
Measured, intimate and quietly harrowing, The Tasters is a reminder that history’s most chilling stories often unfold far from the front lines. By focusing on a group of women caught in the machinery of tyranny, the film uncovers a forgotten chapter of the past and turns it into something immediate and deeply human. It’s not an easy watch — but it is an important and absorbing one.
Ultimately, The Tasters feels less like a conventional war drama and more like a meditation on survival, complicity and resilience. By narrowing its focus to the claustrophobic world of the tasting room, it reframes history through the eyes of those caught in its machinery. If the finished film matches the quiet intensity hinted at in its artwork and premise, audiences this March may find themselves confronted with a chapter of history they never knew — and won’t soon forget.
MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime: 123 mins
Director: Silvio Soldini
Writer: Rosella Postorino; Doriana Leondeff
Cast: Elisa Schlott; Max Riemelt; Alma Hasun
Genre: Drama | History
Tagline:
Memorable Movie Quote: "Please stay seated, You are not allowed to stand."
Distributor: MetFilm
Official Site:
Release Date: March 13, 2026, UK, Ireland
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: Seven women are forced to taste Hitler's food to check for poison. As they spend time together, their relationships evolve between loyalty and betrayal.
