Not the why of the money, power, and the deference that accompany them; we do not need any help understanding why anyone would want all of that. Or why people of accomplishment and privilege would fall for some sketchy-sounding credentials and connections; money and position are certainly no guarantee against being duped.
The questions we need answered are about the main character himself: Who is he, really? What in his background got him as far as he did?
When did it become impossible for him to be careful? He knew what lies were necessary to get him what he wanted; why, even before the murder, did he lose control? As a longtime Washington resident, I can verify that the movie astutely captures the Bermuda Triangle of Washington life, as people move between the three core sectors: the powerful, those who try to influence the powerful, and those who write about them both. We see the humblebrags, the dinner parties, the judicious deployment of Washington-famous names as though playing a game of Battleship.
People in Washington speak in acronyms and refer to obscure events, legislative and regulatory proposals, government programs, and individuals. DC is characterized by transient and exceptionally fluid power shifts as luminaries move in and out of government.
That can make even its savviest denizens susceptible to newcomers who claim to have flashy resumes. She married a German man named Albrecht Gero Muth who was 44 years younger than his wife and who claimed to have credentials including military rank in the Iraqi army. He was convicted of murdering her in In the film, Vanessa Redgrave plays Elsa Breht, a Georgetown journalist and author, and Christoph Waltz , who also directed, plays Ulrich Mott, who meets her around the time he gets fired from an unpaid internship on Capitol Hill.
