There's so much I could go on about, really. The more I work with it, whether I'm writing it out or just playing over scenes and details in my head (which is frequently), the more it just builds and flows; it's a story that almost wants to tell itself once I'm in the right mindset.

Mine, as well! Near Dark and Manhunter are my ultimate favorites of their work, just for the atmosphere and emotion (Manhunter, especially, is an inspiration. The soundtrack is my all-time favorite).

Yes! It's to quickly and easily establish key elements for Aviva and Manfried so the story can pick up after the war. And absolutely, their love story is the focus; of how they still must fight to be together and how they came to be together in the first place.

Indeed, at its core, it is a love story. It first originally took place during the war, with a variety of other characters. As much I loved them, I wanted the focus to be on Aviva and Manfried, so I pushed it forward and dropped nearly everyone else (I'll save them for something else). I was initially apprehensive to share this others in the beginning, other than a couple close friends because of the delicate nature of the story and setting. Aside from Shoasanna and Fredrick and Zwartboek, there aren't any films that have really approached this kind of story. I understand why, but I think of how Verhoeven based Zwartboek off of a true story, and it made me wonder just how many people were like those characters and like Shosanna and Fredrick in real life.

At the heart of it, what leads Aviva to falling in love with Manfried is how human he is. There's a quite a bit involved here, but I'm keeping some of it under wraps, so as not to spoil you. Manfried is, much like Aviva, devoted to his family, which is, at the point they meet, only his mother - and she is the reason he's even fighting in the war. He served in the Afrika Korps, under Erwin Rommel. During the Siege of Tobruk, Manfried was wounded by shrapnel in his left side, leading to massive blood loss, as well as the loss of his left kidney. He's in Paris because of a commendation from Rommel, and after spending months in recovery, being given attention by a very beautiful French girl is very appealing to him. That's the thing of it, really; Manfried is in a very vulnerable condition, both mentally and to an extent, physically. Yet, he's very willing and ready to be open with Aviva, which initially gets to her. His intentions are very honest and kind, and her identity doesn't deter him. He is, I think, the first man she's ever been with, and she's the first, outside medical personnel, to see his scar.