THree Identical Strangers

Composite Score: 82.07

Featuring: Robert Shafran, Michael Domnitz, Howard Schneider, Ellen Cervone, Alan Luchs, David Kellman, Hedy Page, Alice Shafran, Elliott Galland, and Eddy Galland

Director: Tim Wardle

Writer: Grace Hughes-Hallett

Genres: Documentary, Biography, Drama, Mystery, History

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some mature thematic material

Box Office: $13.45 million worldwide

Why should you Watch This Film?

                Three Identical Strangers tells the unlikely, wild, and somewhat tragic tale of Robert Shafran, David Kellman, and Eddy Galland, triplets separated at birth who met each other by chance nineteen years after the separation. The first act of the film focuses on the triplets’ unlikely reunion and subsequent rise to fame, told mostly by two of the brothers and a few family members and friends. It is the film’s second and third acts that truly shine, introducing the mystery of their birth and separation and ultimately unveiling a not entirely benevolent scientific study involving many adopted children who were either twins or triplets. The film contains a quality mix of family drama, suspenseful mystery, and optimistic energy alongside a story that explores the concept of nature vs. nurture.

Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?

                There’s honestly not much negative to say about the film, other than the fact that the case hasn’t fully been resolved, so much is still up in the air by the film’s end. Such is to be expected of a documentary that draws heavily on true crime tropes, but it doesn’t make the ending any less underwhelming. I know a lot of people go in for open-ended stories, but I’d like a little bit more resolution, especially when the rest of the story and theming within the documentary are so well-put-together and gripping. Nonetheless, the film stays true to the form of so many others and leaves its audience with arguably more questions than answers.

So wait, why should you Watch This Film?

                Excluding its less than satisfactory conclusion, Three Identical Strangers presents a beautiful story. From the brothers’ chance meeting in 1980 through their unsuccessful business venture to their parents’ desire to uncover the truth, the story fascinates and grips the audience as we follow along with the brothers. From the jump, the film works to bring you in, as David’s voiceover comes on the speakers talking about his unbelievable story. Even the tragedy of Eddy’s death is handled well, not only bringing emotional connection to the story but also connecting back to the more sinister story of the adopted children study and providing a possible solution to the question of nature vs. nurture that the film raises.

                When the secretive study is introduced, it takes the story in an entirely new direction, pivoting from the brothers’ connection to a deeper question of scientific ethics. Having already connected with the triplets, the audience is immediately brought into their own feelings of betrayal and being used. This connection allows the audience to immediately make a judgment about the nature of the study before any details at all are brough to the table. As more comes to light about the nature of the study, it becomes apparent that everyone impacted by it sees it as an overall negative, especially since it produced no published results. Despite the overall negative take on the study, the film does seem to want to answer the question that the study posed of nature vs. nurture by showcasing the lives and similarities and differences therein of the triplets. By the film’s end, we are left with two possible conclusions, one offered by the people conducting the study, and one offered by the filmmakers, leaving it to the audience to decide.

                A fascinating, twisting tale about triplets separated at birth, Three Identical Strangers hooks its audience from the start and doesn’t let go for its entirety, making it one of the more impactful and successful documentaries in its vein, fully worthy of a place among the Greatest Films of All Time. Though its less than fully concluded conclusion will undoubtedly leave many feeling dissatisfied, the rest of the film’s story does more than enough to provide a combination of entertainment and food for thought for an engaged viewer. Available to stream now on Hulu, check this documentary out if you have the time.