Triple A tells the story of three lives, three marginals, for an organ. Subtle variations around the same universe, poverty. Three stories of couples, but all serving a vital need: an organ functional.
With this second feature film, Moroccan director, producer, and screenwriter Jihane Bahar won Best Foreign Picture at New York’s SOHO International Film Festival. In Triple A, she delves into different forms of love—and the absence of it—by tackling a deeply complex and troubling subject: organ trafficking in Moroccan society.
When an Organ Becomes Currency
Much like a poor girl selling her hair for money in a fairy tale, the human body can, in desperate times, become a commodity. But when it comes to organs, the stakes are far higher—this is not just a lock of hair; it is a piece of oneself, irreversibly lost.
In the film, three couples, all struggling to survive, find themselves in dire need of money for the sake of love. Yassir, homeless and in love with Yasmine, needs 1.5 million dirhams for her heart transplant. Souad, a nurse, is trying to raise 100,000 dirhams so her lover Azzouz can obtain a diploma in surgery—fulfilling her mother’s dream of having a doctor in the family. Naima, who survives by begging, needs 80,000 dirhams to secure her husband Ahmed’s release from prison. They are all desperate. They all need money. But they have nothing left to give—except their own bodies.
The Cost of Sacrifice
Their fortunes shift when Yassir decides to sell his kidney. Souad, seeing an opportunity, suggests the idea when Yassir brings Yasmine to the hospital. But whose kidney should be sold?
Each of the three—Yassir, Souad, and Naima—wants to make the ultimate trade, but their motivations differ. Yassir is willing to sacrifice himself for Yasmine. Souad, on the other hand, is less concerned with love and more interested in profiting as a middle woman. Naima doesn’t even consider offering her own kidney—she is prepared to sell her daughter’s instead.
Despite their tragic circumstances—Naima’s suffering under an exploitative husband, Souad’s struggle to assert control over her fate—their actions expose the brutalizing effects of poverty. The film asks: How does desperation strip people of their humanity? And how far will they go to reclaim love, even if it means trampling on someone else’s?
The characters are unsettling, yet powerfully portrayed, making their performances even more compelling.
“Being the Voice of the Voiceless”
In an interview, Bahar revealed that the film was inspired by children forced to beg on the streets—a reality she witnessed one night. Though Triple A does not explicitly focus on social issues, the film subtly raises awareness of them. Bahar sees her role as an artist as one who gives voice to the voiceless, highlighting the plight of those trapped at the margins of society.
The film’s tragic ending reinforces this pessimistic outlook—escaping poverty is no simple feat. This sense of fatalism is heightened by the poetic narration, which weaves excerpts from Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet into the story. It gives the film a fable-like quality, as though the characters’ destinies are preordained, as unchangeable as myth. The melancholic score further enhances this somber mood.
Triple A is not an easy film to watch, but it is a necessary one. Its original story, haunting performances, and artistic cinematography make it a powerful and thought-provoking experience.
Triple A is presented at the Vue d’Afrique Festival on April 6 and 8, 2025.
