The Tasters

The Tasters (Italian: Le assaggiatrici) is a 2025 historical drama film co-written and directed by Silvio Soldini. A co-production between Italy, Belgium and Switzerland, it stars Elisa Schlott and Max Riemelt.^[1]

The Tasters
Italian theatrical release poster
Directed by	Silvio Soldini
Screenplay by	Doriana Leondeff Silvio Soldini Lucio Ricca Cristina Comencini Giulia Calenda Ilaria Macchia
Based on	Le assaggiatrici by Rosella Postorino and Margot Wölk's life
Produced by	Lionello Cerri Cristiana Mainardi Joseph Rouschop Katrin Renz Stefan Jäger
Starring	Elisa Schlott Max Riemelt
Cinematography	Renato Berta
Edited by	Carlotta Cristiani Giorgio Garini
Music by	Mauro Pagani
Production companies	Lumière & Co., Anteo Tarantula, Tellfilm Vision Distribution Sky Cinema
Distributed by	Vision Distribution
Release date	2025 (2025)
Country	Italy
Language	German

Plot

Autumn 1943. One morning, young Rosa Sauer - whose husband is at the front and who has fled bomb-stricken Berlin to her in-laws' home in the northeastern Polish village Gross-Partsch - is taken to the Nazi headquarters Wolf's Lair, where she is forced along with other women to eat the meals destined for the Führer: every day, three times, she is forced to come close to death to make sure that that food is not poisoned. In this atmosphere of coercion, and torn between the fear of dying and the hunger that devours them, the tasters will form alliances, friendships and secret pacts among themselves, without ceasing to hope.

Cast

• Elisa Schlott as Rosa Sauer
• Max Riemelt as Albert Ziegler
• Alma Hasun as Elfriede
• Emma Falck as Leni
• Olga von Luckwald as Heike
• Thea Rasche as Augustine
• Berit Vander as Ulla
• Kriemhild Hamann as Sabine
• Nicolò Pasetti as Gunther

Production

The film is an adaptation of the 2018 award-winning novel At the Wolf's Table by Rosella Postorino.^[2] Principal photography started in May 2024, in the Alto Adige region, with minor footage in Switzerland and Belgium.^[3][4] The film was produced by Lumière & Co. in association with Anteo, with Tarantula and Tellfilm serving as co-producers.^[5][6]

Release

The film had its premiere at the 2025 Bari International Film Festival and was released on Italian cinemas by Vision Distribution on 27 March 2025.^[5]

Reception

The film received favorable reviews generally from Italian film critics.^[5][7][8]

La Repubblica's film critic Alberto Crespi described the film as "different from anything Soldini has shot so far", "well shot and beautifully acted", "an outstanding film that is worth watching".^[9] Manuela Santacatterina of Movieplayer.it described Le assaggiatrici “a film with an international scope” in which “the careful reconstruction of sets, makeup, and costumes is echoed in the excellent casting,” appreciating the director's decisions to move the filming into “circumscribed spaces” and “on the details, the small personal stories, the details on the sidelines of the conflict. It reconstructs a women's world victimized by the conflict where solidarity and betrayal coexist."^[10] Carola Proto of Comingsoon.it also noted how "the organization of the filmic space is perfect", dwelling on the female characters "filmed in groups, they seem to press on the edges of the frame", but that in the course of the film "each one acquires distinct traits, calling for identification and leading us to reflect on past and current oppressive dynamics, on painful historical ebbs and flows".^[11]