Experiencing Interruptions?

Triplex

A true story about the terrible toll of untreated mental illness on an American family. A Texas woman, obsessed with a beautiful little girl and determined to have one just like her, sets off on the singleminded pursuit of the child's father that takes a series of bizarre turns-- deception, male rape, cross-border flight-- and leaves her with triplet boys instead. Raised in a world of chaos, the boys rely on each other to survive while their father remains ignorant of the fate of his sons for decades.

  • Nadia Ramoutar
    Director
    It's Huge
  • H. James Glmore
    Director
    Cracking Aces, The Forgiving Earth, Men at Work, Great Aunt Mabel
  • H. James Gilmore
    Writer
  • Nadia Ramoutar
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Social Issue, Mental Health
  • Runtime:
    60 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    July 10, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    3,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Lost River Film Festival
    San Marcos, TX
    United States
    October 18, 2019
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Red Dirt Film Festival
    Stillwater, OK
    United States
    March 7, 2020
    Oklahoma Premiere
    Best Director (Documentary)
  • Deep Focus Film Festival
    Brooklyn, NY
    United States
    Finalist
Director Biography - Nadia Ramoutar, H. James Glmore

NADIA RAMOUTAR is a writer, artist and director who focuses on stories which give a voice to the voiceless. She was born in Dublin, Ireland to an Irish mother and an Indian father and her work often focuses on issues of diversity and inclusivity. She lived in America for many years, working in media and also teaching college. She returned to Ireland and currently lives in Co. Wicklow where she is actively creating and consulting on stories which show life from the underdog’s perspective. She holds a Ph.D. in Communications from the University of Florida.

H. JAMES GILMORE (co-director/editor) is a documentary filmmaker whose work focuses on culture, social justice and history. He is the director of over 20 films on a variety of topics, from ZIMBABWE: A RACIAL REVOLUTION (1988) about the transition from white-ruled Rhodesia to black-ruled Zimbabwe, to CRACKING ACES (2018) which profiles the groundbreaking women who fought to shatter the glass ceiling of professional poker. Gilmore holds a MA in Broadcasting and Film from the University of Iowa and serves as executive producer of Acadia Pictures, an independent production company he founded in 1995. In addition to his work in film, he is the associate director of the Acadia Institute of Oceanography in Seal Harbor, Maine.

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Director Statement

Dear Programming Committee:

As an Irish female film director, I am pleased to present TRIPLEX for your consideration. This underground documentary, produced on a shoe-string budget of under $3,000, is a family drama about triplet boys who grew up with a mentally ill mother in Texas while living a life of poverty and fear built on a lie.

Told by their mother that they were the result of a one night stand with an absent father who wanted nothing to do with them, it wasn’t until decades later that they discovered the truth: their mother had taken fertility drugs and entrapped their father—a Vietnam Veteran-- and deliberately gotten pregnant in hopes of having a beautiful baby girl. She got three boys instead. After getting child support from the father, she abducted the boys, taking them and hiding them in the mountains of New Mexico. They had no idea their father was looking for them until their half-sister, after years of searching, found them online via social media.

This story defies anything that anyone ever imagined about good parenting and tells a twisted tale that unraveled in the midst of filming. Covering universal themes of mental health and the toll it takes on families, the story is also a bizarre quest for the elusive “American Dream.”

This film is somewhat experimental in form, engaging the viewers like voyeurs at a family reunion where the secrets being revealed are unknown to the other relatives. It is a documentary that combines elements of psychological suspense, human melodrama and black comedy. It is also a heart-breaking testament of survival as we witness three grown men haunted by painful and suppressed memories of a childhood they seek to forgive-- although they cannot forget.

I live in Wicklow, Ireland and my co-director (H. James Gilmore) is a professor of screen studies at the University of Michigan in the USA. We are both experienced filmmakers and educators, and would be happy to attend and take part in questions, workshops, or panels in support of your festival.

With kind regards and in appreciation for your consideration,

Nadia Ramoutar, Director
Triplex