Character Relationship Map: The Third Generation

Characters

• Rudolf Mann (played by Harry Baer) — protagonist

  A clerk in a record store and a member of the terrorist group, Rudolf provides the large apartment used as its headquarters. He supports the identity theft operation but is terrified during the break-...

• Gerhard Gast (played by Hark Bohm) — supporting

  An inspector-general of the police, Gerhard warns P. J. Lurz that he is under surveillance and provides police protection. He is also Susanne's father-in-law and conducts a sadomasochistic affair with...

• Hilde Krieger (played by Bulle Ogier) — supporting

  Hilde is a feminist history professor and a member of the terrorist cell. She receives a marked paper square and is assigned to help steal new identities. Paul is sent to live with her and initially r...

• August (played by Volker Spengler) — supporting

  August leads the terrorist group but is secretly a double agent working with P. J. Lurz, who pays him to encourage terrorist activity. He distributes assignments, controls the conspirators through dec...

• Paul (played by Raúl Gimenez) — minor

  Paul arrives from training camps in Africa with practical experience and becomes the terrorist group's new contact. He is assigned to live with Hilde, initially rapes her, and then forms a relationshi...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Hilde Krieger → Paul (Romantic Coerced Couple) — Their relationship shifts abruptly from sexual violence to an intimate partnership.

  Paul is assigned to live with Hilde, rapes her, and by the following day the two have become a couple.

• August → Hilde Krieger (Professional Cell Leadership) — August assigns operational roles within the group that includes Hilde.

  August distributes the paper squares that determine who must conduct the office break-in, and Hilde receives one of the marked squares.

• August → Rudolf Mann (Power Leader And Member) — August leads the group in which Rudolf participates.

  August Brem is identified as the ringleader of the terrorist group, while Rudolf's apartment serves as its headquarters and meeting point.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Rudolf Mann → Paul (Alliance Cell Associate) — Rudolf and Paul share membership in the same clandestine group.

  Paul arrives at Rudolf's apartment, which functions as the group's headquarters and meeting point, and joins the conspirators gathered there.

• Gerhard Gast → August (Conflict Police Opponent) — They occupy opposing positions in the conflict between state security and the terrorist cell.

  Gerhard is the police inspector-general investigating the terrorist network, while August secretly directs its operations and sets up members for poli...

• Gerhard Gast → Paul (Conflict Police Adversary) — Gerhard represents the police force responsible for confronting Paul's group.

  Paul is gunned down by the authorities at a restaurant, and Gerhard is present at the scene as a police officer.

• August → Paul (Alliance Terrorist Associates) — Paul becomes an experienced new operative within August's group.

  Paul arrives from training camps in Africa with combat experience and joins the terrorist group led by August.

• Rudolf Mann → Hilde Krieger (Alliance Teammate) — They cooperate in the cell's identity theft operation.

  Rudolf and Hilde are among the members who receive marked paper squares and are required to break into an office to steal new identities.

Story Analysis

A politically radical cell collapses into paranoia and manipulation while violence becomes entangled with commercial interests and absurd theatricality.

Plot Progression

1. A Cell Awaits Its Contact — The clandestine group gathers at Rudolf's apartment and waits for a new operative. Paul arrives with training experience, changing the group's internal balance.
2. Assignments Under Pressure — Paul's arrival produces a disturbing relationship with Hilde. August then assigns an identity-stealing operation, while Rudolf's fear exposes tensions within the cell.
3. Death Creates Paranoia — A drug overdose and Paul's shooting make the conspirators fearful. The group changes identities and begins searching for an imagined traitor.
4. The Leader's Hidden Game — August redirects suspicion and arranges police traps against members of the network. Gerhard's investigation intensifies as the conspirators are gradually destroyed.
5. Carnival Masks And Capture — The surviving terrorists use carnival disguises to kidnap an industrialist. In a basement video, the captive still believes the kidnapping belongs to his own secret plan.