A food critic who can't taste must cook to save his career—hungry for redemption, literally.
After being hit on the head, the eccentric gourmet critic, Gilles "Günni" Demmonget, loses both his sense of taste and smell, and now, of all times, he is due to appear in a public cooking duel with his wild young competitor, Paul Scheffke. Hoping for a speedy recovery, Gilles moves into a fasting hotel on the island of Sylt for a while, recommended to him by his friend Risto. The isolation and peace, combined with doing without solid food is supposed to sharpen his senses and help them return completely. On the island, he not only experiences a turbulent reunion with fasting instructor Marit Hansen - but his desirous ex-lover Diana moves into the adjacent room as well.
Acting
Dietmar Bär commits hard to physical comedy of not eating.
Production
Sylt island locations make fasting look surprisingly glamorous.
Director
Hans-Erich Viet
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Dietmar Bär was starring in long-running crime series Tatort at the time, making this comedic detour a rare treat for German audiences.
Sylt has been Germany's elite wellness destination since the 1960s; the film gently mocks this bourgeois fasting culture while luxuriating in its aesthetics.
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