Las catadoras de Hitler, the true story of seven women held in the Wolf's Lair during WWII
Italian director Silvio Soldini presented the feature film at the Festival de Málaga in the Mosaic: International Scene section
On Wednesday 11th March, as part of its section Mosaic: International Scene, the Festival de Málaga screened the film Las catadoras de Hitler (Hitler's Women Tasters), directed by the renowned Italian filmmaker Silvio Soldini. This production immerses the viewer in the story of seven women forced to be the food tasters for Hitler in his hideout known as the Wolf's Lair.
Soldini explained that the film originated from the producers’ proposal to adapt the novel on which it is based for the cinema. "When I read it, it made a huge impact on me," said the director, not only because of the story it tells, but also because it is written by an author who is only 27 years old.
At the press conference, Soldini confesses that when he started working on this film, "I was afraid", as it is a story set in another era. His main fear was reconstructing that past without making it "look fake", as is sometimes the case in period films.
Another difficulty for Soldini was the language, as he wanted "the actors to be German". That decision added, in his words, "an extra difficulty" to the complexities inherent in any film, since he does not speak German.
The story is based on the life of Rosa (Elisa Schlott), a young woman fleeing from a Berlin that is being bombed in the autumn of 1943. To find a safe place, she ends up hiding and taking refuge in the village where her in-laws live. Rosa soon discovers that Hitler's headquarters, the so-called Wolf's Lair, is located in the nearby forest.
The Führer sees enemies everywhere and is obsessed with being poisoned. Along with other women, Rosa is forced to taste the food prepared for him. Torn between fear of death and hunger, the "catadoras" accept their fate, but not without contradictions. Rosa struggles to be accepted, but when she finally manages to overcome the mistrust of the other tasters, an event makes her feel like a traitor: the arrival of an SS officer who, against all logic, awakens love in her.
Following its screening at the Festival de Málaga, the feature film is scheduled to be released in Spanish cinemas on 22 May.
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