Three Identical Strangers

Recently, CNN’s documentary Three Identical Strangers aired on CNN, and viewers could not believe what they saw. The documentary detailed the astonishing story of triplets Robert “Bobby” Shafran, David Kellman, and Edward “Eddy” Galland who were separated at birth. Their story, on the surface, seems like a Hollywood film. Bobby, at age nineteen, goes off to Sullivan County Community College, in New York, where everyone seemed to already know him, but everyone thought his name was Eddy. Michael Domnitz, a fellow student, figured it out first and told Bobby that he had to meet his twin, Eddy. A phone call, frantic drive, and a ticket later, Bobby and Eddy were reunited. A local news station picked up the story and published it. David later came across the story and was stunned to see two men identical to him. Another phone call reunited all three of the brothers. Bobby, David, and Eddy were thrust into the spotlight and garnered national attention. But while the triplets were celebrating their reunion, their parents had numerous questions.

Bobby, David, and Eddy were born unexpectedly to a young woman, given up for adoption, and sent to an adoption agency called Louise Wise Services. After the reunion, the angry parents went to Louise Wise Services and demanded answers. The adoption agency claimed that the triplets were separated because it would have been hard to find a family that would adopt all three of the triplets. The parents were not happy with that answer since it didn’t explain why they weren’t told that the children they were adopting had siblings.

Later, research done by a journalist revealed that the triplets were part of an unfathomable psychological experiment. Dr. Peter Neubauer, who died in 2008, created a study where identical twins and triplets were separated at birth and observed in different homes throughout their childhood. The study was never published and when he passed away, Dr. Neubauer sealed the records of the study at Yale University, where they cannot be opened until 2066. This means that the public is still unaware of how many sets of twins and triplets were involved in the study or what the results of the study were. The happy chance of the triplet’s reunion is the only reason that this study has been exposed

Although this piece reveals some fascinating details about the documentary, there are many details that can only be experienced so make Three Identical Strangers the movie to watch for your next movie night.