Greetings again from the darkness. As we are unfortunately learning yet again … there are no upsides to war. There are the deaths and injuries that occur to soldiers and citizens. There is destruction of property and cityscapes. And there is the cost to those who are neither soldiers or government officials – the ‘quiet cost’ of war. Writer-director Silvio Soldini (BREAD AND TULIPS, 2000) and co-writer Doriana Leondeff have adapted the 2018 award-winning novel, “At the Wolf’s Table”, by Rosella Postorino, which itself was based on the remarkable story WWII survivor Margot Wolk told a German journalist about her time spent as a food taster for Hitler.
It’s the fall of 1943 and Rosa Sauer (Elisa Schlott) is returning to her in-laws’ farm in East Prussia from a bombed-out Berlin. Rosa’s husband, Gregor, enlisted one month after their wedding and they’ve seen each other only once in the past four years. An atmosphere of gloom hangs over the village, and one morning changes everything for Rosa. Nazi soldiers load her into a van with other German women. They are escorted to the ‘Wolf’s Lair’ in the forest … it’s the Fuhrer’s headquarters. The seven women are examined by a doctor and then escorted into a dining room where a feast awaits. Having spent months, even years, desperate for food, the chef-prepared meals create initial excitement with the women. The excitement quickly turns to dread and fear when it is revealed they are to eat every bite of the meal and then wait one hour under guard. The purpose is to make sure the food is not poisoned prior to Hitler eating.
Director Soldini fills the screen with greys and browns to match the atmosphere of despair and fear. The slow pacing lends credence to the women’s days of wondering if the next meal will be their last. Abortion, hidden identities, and an affair all play a part in what is little more than an attempt to survive for however long the war might last. The seven women form bonds, yet no one is ever relaxed or comfortable. Rosa is initially referred to as “Berliner” since she arrived from the big city. She’s told, “This isn’t Berlin.” “No one needs secretaries.” Rosa is tougher than she looks and holds her own, soon making friends with Elfriede (Alma Hasun), a woman with a secret.
Atypical for a war movie, there is little action and minimal violence. Not much time is spent getting to know the personalities of the women. Instead, it’s a different kind of survival story – one that involves psychology and self-control. Their thrice daily activities require immense mental fortitude, yet the alternative is even worse. Whether Margot Wolk’s story was completely accurate or not, matters little. It’s a story of those with power versus those with none. And that’s a theme that plays out daily even eighty-plus years later.
In U.K. and Irish theaters beginning March 13, 2026
Posted by David Ferguson 
Movie Reviews from the Dark 