The intensely compelling documentary “Three Identical Strangers” begins by reconstructing a fateful autumn day in 1980, when Robert Shafran, a 19-year-old freshman at Sullivan County College in upstate New York, walked onto campus for the first time and found himself warmly greeted by several people he didn’t know, all of them calling him “Eddy.” After much confusion and some quick detective work, Shafran soon found himself staring into a face identical to his own: Eddy was his long-lost brother Edward Galland, from whom he had been separated soon after birth.
The story made national headlines that only grew more startling. Seeing what appeared to be two versions of himself in a newspaper photo, a Queens College freshman named David Kellman, realized that he was the third brother. After 19 years apart, the bonds of blood reasserted themselves immediately: Kellman’s aunt recalls that when the young men first met, they started wrestling on the floor like puppies. As they soon realized in the wake of their happy, shattering reunion, the triplets — born July 12, 1961 — had been adopted by three different families, none of whom had been told that their son was one of a matching set.
Identical triplets are rare to begin with, perhaps as unlikely as three long-lost siblings stumbling upon each other in a state as populous as New York. But if “Three Identical Strangers” drops its biggest bombshell early, the director Tim Wardle holds plenty more in reserve. The tricky, twisty structure of this documentary, a scientific and philosophical inquiry by way of a detective story, suggests a joyous earthquake followed by a series of grim, unsettling aftershocks. It careens wildly from near-comic disbelief to unspeakable tragedy, dragging a trail of intense, contradictory emotions in its wake.
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Real-life events shouldn’t require spoiler warnings, but those who wish to preserve the freshness of a first viewing should tread carefully over the next few paragraphs. The question that immediately struck the Shafran, Galland and Kellman families — why were the boys not told about their brothers? — is gradually, ominously answered. The film traces the inquiry to the now-closed doors of Louise Wise Services, formerly a prominent adoption agency specializing in finding families for Jewish orphans. Documents and interviews point to the existence of a mysterious study, undertaken in secret, that arranged for identical twins and triplets to be separated, adopted and scrutinized for years afterward.
It certainly was a strange story. Although certainly unethical, I find myself wondering about the positives as well as the negatives of identical siblings raised separately. That is, provided all the parents were suitable.
Originally posted by Amanda: Oddly, I wrote about about this same study in the recent "Blank Slate" thread (last two posts - forgot how to link to specific one).
It certainly was a strange story. Although certainly unethical, I find myself wondering about the positives as well as the negatives of identical siblings raised separately. That is, provided all the parents were suitable.
PS. Note the book mentioned by NPR is the same as the movie - while concerning different sibling sets!
I saw this last night. While it was apparent that nurture did make the brothers different, it still felt so very wrong.
And even worse, the records are sealed at Yale. Some have since been released, including films of the boys as shown during the credits..but they were not the only victims and there is still so much that is under lock and key.
It seems to me that Yale should just open the archive.
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A New York adoption agency deliberately split up infant twins in the 1960s as part of a controversial study. Melissa Hogenboom tracks down some of those involved to find out why they are still searching for answers about this intrusive experiment.
