From: Ronny Mouawad To: Maroun NAJM , Aya Blouchi , Tracey Mair Date: Sat, 9 May 2026 20:06:16 +1000 Subject: Fwd: MAROUN, please see my conversation with Nicco. I think in answer to the first question, the line you suggested is definitely thematic — "When the snow melts, the shit will show." A development of that is confirmed in that line "Almost all great men are bad men" which is a famous quote of Lord Acton's which begins with "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." And yes, not so much a contradiction but the "tragedy of Fredric," which is also the tragedy of many great men who seek power is that he seeks status and respect from without instead of within. This is Trump's tragedy. This is my tragedy. And probably yours. In answer to your second question: of course every scene should reflect some facet of the theme but if you want best scenes then I think in the car with Magda when he exposes the theme. Definitely the killing of Cash. Also in the Vatican room when he berates Billy. The scene where he gives Vincent the gun in tandem with the scene where Billy questions Vincent about the gun and where he got it from. Fredric holding the smoking gun. The deal he makes with Osman and then with Wass. The moment Holmes realises that Aida has played him and solved all his concerns. Magda in the kitchen when Renee flashes her ring saying these are all her children. Definitely any of the scenes that show Fredric's emotional connection to Isabella. Isabella is the heart of the movie. Magda and Fredric on the dialysis machine discussing his concern for his children and going to Lebanon. Lebanon and the ultimatum Fredric gives George when George say the cocaine has made him a wealthy man and Fredric says that's why he can walk away. And again when George says that Fredric is blaming the wrong person and Fredric responds by saying "I know who to blame George. Lucky it's not you." That… Followed by some ugly moments in The General's assassination. Aida removing her underwear and meeting Vincent at the front door of his apartment and them practically eating each other bouncing of the walls. Ronny, these are not in any order and it would take some thinking to design what you're asking but these are only some — Three scenes?! Not sure it needs scenes as a sequence of moments strung together in a fast moving display of Fredric's emotional dilemma as it builds vertically not horizontally… Ending with Magda taking control or at least somewhere toward the end of the trailer introducing how she dies take over. That's the contradiction — Fredric has built a toxic empire from which he is trying to extract a family that just wants to go deeper into it and build it even greater. Hope this helps. This is from me, not a machine… …but I'm sure a machine could help clarify these moments. X Nico - - - On 9 May 2026, at 07:10, Ronny Mouawad wrote: > Nicco, > > Hope you're well mate. > > I had a Zoom with the sales agent and the lady in Doha. It was mostly > business and boring stuff, but importantly he really loved the script. > We'll be doing another Zoom with him in the coming days. > > He asked if we could answer a couple of simple questions to help him better > position and sell the project to cast and buyers. I've answered them as > well, but would really love your take in the simplest form possible: > > 1. Theme — Is the contradiction inside Fredric the emotional key, or is > there a sharper way to define it? > > For example: "Great men are almost always bad men. > > 2. Three Selling Scenes — Which three scenes best sell both the thriller > promise and the emotional core of the film? > > These are important for trailers, decks, meetings, and cast discussions. > > Regards > Ronny Jon Paul Mouawad