“The Taste of Water is the story of an obsession. Hes, an experienced social worker, is summoned to the scene of a shocking domestic tragedy: an entire family which has been living in appalling squalor has been killed, apparently a murder-suicide. Hes discovers, however, that one daughter has survived; Anna, a wild adolescent girl.... The social worker is moved by her pathetic condition and (à la Truffaut's The Wild Child) he undertakes to ‘save' her. He moves into the apartment and locks himself in a life and death struggle for the girl's redemption....
“Although technically director Orlow Seunke's first feature, The Taste of Water is only the latest in a series of collaborations with actor Gerard Thoolen who plays the role of Hes. The other major role, the girl Anna, is played by Dorijn Curvers, a member (as are several of the cast) of the Werteater, whose film In for Treatment was one of the hits of Filmex 81. Her performance is a tour-de-force which will not soon be forgotten by any who see it.” Paul Bartel for the San Francisco Film Festival, 1983.