For many, the best documentary
film of 2018 is Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,
which is also projected to win the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. However, for me, my pick is Three Identical Strangers.
The documentary starts off with recounting
Robert Shafran’s first day in college, in which, to his astonishment, everyone
there seems to know him already. Just as
he was settling down in his dorm room, he was approached by a young man who had
figured out what was going on. This
young man was a friend of Edward Galland, the student that Robert was being
mistaken of. Apparently, Robert and
Edward were twins given up for adoption to two different families, each side
unaware of the existence of a twin. That
same night, Robert went to meet Edward for the first time since they were
babies.
It’s a strange story that couldn’t
get any stranger.
But it did. Months later, David Kellman read a newspaper
carrying a news article about Edward and Robert’s fateful reunion. To his shock, the two boys on the photo
looked exactly like him! As it turns
out, he was the third brother. They were
triplets! Soon, he would join his
brothers, and the triplets quickly developed a bond. They compared notes about their lives, and to
their delight, they found that they have plenty of things in common.
Their mindblowing story swept the
nation. They became celebrities, and had
numerous TV guestings. They even got to
cameo in a Madonna movie.
But all these were covered by
just the first 20 minutes of the film.
What would the rest of it be about then?
Well, there’s actually much more
to this surreal story, and it really goes down the rabbit hole. With every layer peeled, the details revealed
about the triplets only get more and more uncanny, particularly with regards to
the true nature of their adoption and separation. Why were they sent out to three different
families, and why were these families not informed that they were
triplets? The answer will surely shock.
Indeed, after starting at a
feel-good note, it gradually evolves into something more gripping, disturbing, and
brooding. The twists and turns involved
in it are superior to most well-plotted thrillers out there, and the
reflections it will elicit are extensive and rich. As a result, it’s an utterly absorbing film. No wonder it won the U.S. Documentary Special
Jury Award for Storytelling at the Sundance Film Festival.
Three Identical Strangers is a must-watch!
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