{"id":52028,"date":"2025-04-09T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lepetitseptieme.ca\/?p=52028"},"modified":"2025-04-09T09:05:17","modified_gmt":"2025-04-09T13:05:17","slug":"vues-dafrique-triple-a-twisting-the-knife","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lepetitseptieme.ca\/en\/2025\/04\/09\/vues-dafrique-triple-a-twisting-the-knife\/","title":{"rendered":"[Vues d\u2019Afrique] Triple A \u2013 Twisting the knife"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cParlez-nous de l\u2019amour.\u201d
[Tell us about love.<\/em>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Triple<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Triple A<\/em> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With this second feature film, Moroccan director, producer, and screenwriter Jihane Bahar won Best Foreign Picture at New York\u2019s SOHO International Film Festival. In Triple A<\/em>, she delves into different forms of love\u2014and the absence of it\u2014by tackling a deeply complex and troubling subject: organ trafficking in Moroccan society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When an Organ Becomes Currency<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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\u2014this is not just a lock of hair; it is a piece of oneself, irreversibly lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2014fulfilling her mother\u2019s dream of having a doctor in the family. Naima, who survives by begging, needs 80,000 dirhams to secure her husband Ahmed\u2019s release from prison. They are all desperate. They all need money. But they have nothing left to give\u2014except their own bodies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Cost of Sacrifice<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of the three\u2014Yassir, Souad, and Naima\u2014wants 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\u2019t even consider offering her own kidney\u2014she is prepared to sell her daughter\u2019s instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite their tragic circumstances\u2014Naima\u2019s suffering under an exploitative husband, Souad\u2019s struggle to assert control over her fate\u2014their 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\u2019s?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The characters are unsettling, yet powerfully portrayed, making their performances even more compelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeing the Voice of the Voiceless\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview, Bahar revealed that the film was inspired by children forced to beg on the streets\u2014a reality she witnessed one night. Though Triple A<\/em> 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<\/em>, highlighting the plight of those trapped at the margins of society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The film\u2019s tragic ending reinforces this pessimistic outlook\u2014escaping poverty is no simple feat. This sense of fatalism is heightened by the poetic narration, which weaves excerpts from Khalil Gibran\u2019s The Prophet<\/em> into the story. It gives the film a fable-like quality, as though the characters\u2019 destinies are preordained, as unchangeable as myth. The melancholic score further enhances this somber mood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Triple A<\/em> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Triple A<\/em> is presented at the Vue d\u2019Afrique Festival on April 6 and 8, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trailer <\/i> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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