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The identical triplets Eddy Galland (from the left), David Kellman and Bobby Shafran were separated at birth and adopted by different families. When they reconnected at the age of 19, filmmaker Tim Wardle says they discovered "incredible similarities that could not be explained by chance".
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The identical triplets Eddy Galland (from the left), David Kellman and Bobby Shafran were separated at birth and adopted by different families. When they reconnected at the age of 19, filmmaker Tim Wardle says that they discovered "incredible similarities that could not be explained by chance."
NEON
Bobby Shafran received an unexpected welcome on his first day at college in 1980.
"Everyone immediately welcomed him as he had been there for years," says the filmmaker Tim Wardle. "The guys come to him, slapping him on the back, the girls kiss him, he's never been there before – he does not know what they're talking about."
Finally, somebody one asked if he had been adopted – he said yes – and could he have a twin brother? That's how Bobby met his twin, Eddy Galland, who was already a college student. The story was published in New York newspapers and, very quickly, the brothers received a call from another 19-year-old man – a young man holding a newspaper, looking at a picture of two people who seemed just like him. "You are not twins, we are triplets – I am the third," said David Kellman
This is how Bobby Shafran, Eddy Galland and David Kellman discovered that they were triplets, separated at birth, and raised in three different families. The brothers shared identical curly hair, broad smiles, exuberant charm and many of the same tastes and manners. They moved in together and became minor celebrities – clubbing, posing for photos, opening a restaurant, and making a movie scene with Madonna.
But, with time, they also discovered why they had been taken one to the other at birth. Their wound, their confusion and their anger are at the center of the documentary Three Identical Strangers directed by Tim Wardle.
[Ed. note: The conversation below describes aspects of the story that are not revealed until later in the film.]
Highlights of the interview
At first, the meeting was joyous because the triplets discovered all the quirks and similarities that they shared. But "the events that happened to them and their reunion also caused a lot of tragedy," says Tim Wardle. Above, Eddy Galland, left, and his brother Bobby Shafran.
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NEON
At first, the meeting was a joyous one, because the triplets discovered all the quirks and similarities they shared. But "the events that happened to them and their reunion also caused a lot of tragedy," says Tim Wardle. Above, Eddy Galland, left, and his brother Bobby Shafran.
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On why the triplets were separated by Louise Wise Services, an adoption agency in New York
It was very unusual that these brothers were separated at birth. It turned out that they were not the only identical siblings had been separated by this agency … a very upmarket adoption agency. … It turned out that they were split up as part of a scientific experiment conducted by a prominent New York – based psychiatrist who was looking at nature in relation to the nature of life. education and the relative importance of heredity […] were involved in the experiment not wanting to discuss it
The scientists we have [in the film] were the only ones to talk about. There were many more prominent people – in terms of participation in this study – who refused to talk to us or say, I do not know what you're talking about. …
It's interesting to see how scientists talk about this experience. In their defense, you know, in the '50s and' 60s, there were many experiences that took place when psychology was trying to establish itself as a new science. There were many experiences that we considered today as immoral – such as the Milgram Obedience Experiences [Stanley] or later the Stanford Prison Experience – so that's what it was. 39 was a bit of the Wild West of psychology at that time.
Peter Neubauer, senior psychologist of the study
One of the central questions [of the film] is why are good people doing sometimes bad or unethical things? I am not interested in trying to portray him or anyone who has run this experience as bad or bad. I think it's really interesting – these gray areas of human behavior. Peter Neubauer was the father of child psychiatry in America. He made [an] an incredible amount of good for the children. But at the same time, was involved in this thing which, in retrospect, and I think at the time, was very unethical. Lawrence Wright, the journalist [who wrote about the triplets and] who appears in the film, has this phrase "noble cause corruption" that he uses to explain why sometimes good people do bad things in pursuit of a much bigger . It's a bit as if the ends justified the means – and I think they were blinded by the human impact of what they were doing.
On the difficulty of telling a story like this
It was very delicate. First, gain the trust of triplets and their families – when you learn the full extent of their story, you understand why they find it difficult enough, I think, to trust people. It took a lot of time to gain their trust. And then, there were several organizations and people involved in this project who did not want this story to air, so various people were trying to stop the film.
On the tragedy of the history of the triplets ]
Would it be better not to know each other? Would they really be happier today without knowing it? … They had tremendous years of joy when they met, but all went very badly. [Galland died by suicide in 1995.]
Today, the truth is that their relationship is quite fractured. It was when we were doing the movie. I think one of the things that came out of the movie, unintentionally, is that they've been getting closer a little bit, which has been wonderful, and that their families have been getting closer, this which is unexpected.
On how the results of the study are still a secret
The study records are locked in a vault at Yale University . When [Neubauer] died, he left all the material to Yale on the condition that he was not released until 2066 … at that time everyone involved in the study would have long since disappeared . So he is always there waiting to be open. …
As part of the realization of the film, we managed to get … the brothers some of their equipment. They have only received photocopies, it is heavily redacted, some pages are entirely in black ink, so it is difficult to reconstruct exactly the purpose of the study or its findings. But we had material. … I could be in a wheelchair [but] I will try to get down to Yale in 2066 if I can.
Sarah Handel and Viet Le produced and edited this interview for broadcast. Beth Novey has adapted it for the Web.
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