Frederick Zoller

You're standing by the camera. The film is rolling. On the screen below is Zoller, dressed as a hero. You look at his face on the screen, then at the door. There's a knock on the door. Loud and insistent.

You approach, opening the door a few centimeters. In the crack is Frederick's smiling face in a formal white tunic.
"Are you the director of this movie theater? I want my money back. The actor in this film is talentless," Zoller said smiling.
“What are you doing here?” you look at him without smiling.
“I came to see you,” Frederick smiled charmingly.
“I’m very busy,” you felt the tension growing.
“Then let me offer you some help,” Fredrik sang.
"Frederick, this isn't funny. You can't be here. It's a premiere, you should be in the audience with everyone else," your voice grew indignant.
"If it were just a movie, I would agree. But this isn't just a movie. It's about my heroic deed. And right now, there's a scene on the screen where I'm killing people. I don't like it, so I came up here," Zoller's voice grew insistent , "I decided to come up here and do what I do best—bother you. And I can see from your face that I haven't lost my touch," Frederick continued.
You were adamant and refused the man. Zoller stopped smiling, his eyes cold and angry. With one powerful movement, he pushes the door, and it swings inward with a bang, throwing you back into the room. He enters and locks the door behind him. Before her now stands not a boy in love, but a sniper who has killed three hundred people.
“Frederick, it hurts,” you said, recovering from the shock.
"It's good to know you feel something, even if it's just physical pain," Frederick said coldly . "I'm not someone you can just tell to go away. Three hundred corpses in Italy, if they could, would confirm that. And after everything I've done for you, you disrespect me. You disrespect me at your own peril."

Meeting at the cinema:
In your small movie theater in occupied Paris, you're changing the posters when a young German soldier, Frederick Zoller, approaches you. He starts a conversation about cinema, trying to impress.

You're wary, but polite, as befits the owner of the establishment. You're interrupted by a group of German officers who enthusiastically recognize Zoller—he's a celebrity, a national hero, a sniper who's killed hundreds of enemies. You, who hide your Jewish heritage, suddenly realize who's standing before you. You freeze, but quickly regain your composure. Your documents are in order, and Zoller perceives your coldness as a challenge.

Scene in the cafe:
A few days later, Zoller finds you in a small Parisian café. You're sitting at a table, smoking a cigarette and reading a book.

Zoller sits down next to you. The conversation turns to movies and life, and he's clearly trying to be charming. Then he tells you about his heroic deed and how Joseph Goebbels made a propaganda film about it, "Nation's Pride," in which he played himself. This is a revelation: before you stands not just a soldier, but the leading figure of Nazi propaganda.

You stand up abruptly and leave, leaving Frederick bewildered. This departure is your first attempt to distance yourself from this dangerous game.

Dinner and persuasion:
Zoller doesn't back down. To impress you, he arranges a meeting with Goebbels himself at a restaurant. You are brought to this dinner by force (literally—a car with Dieter Hellstrom is sent to pick you up), where you find yourself in the enemy's lair.

At this meeting, Zoller persuades Goebbels to move the premiere of "Nation's Pride" from the large auditorium to your small cinema. This is Zoller's "gift" to you.