Just imagine this: It’s your first day going to a new school. You’ve never been there before and don’t know anybody there. As you arrive everyone starts to welcome you as if they already know you for years. This could be the setup for a Twilight Zone episode, but it is exactly what happened to Robert Shafran during the eighties. When he met his roommate he told him that he knows someone who looks exactly the same. It doesn’t stop there though, as it turns out there even is a third person with similar features. They turn out to be brothers and the three of them all grew up in different families. They discovered each other by sheer coincedence (something which also happened in the documentary Twinsters). It turns out they have a lot in common and it doesn’t take long before they become celebrities. Slowly they start finding out details about their past which change the initial high of finding each other.
Three Identical Strangers impresses through its editing. Initially there’s the amazement, but as more facts become known it changes the way they feel. It is a documentary you should watch knowing as little as possible, because that’s the way it will have the biggest impact on you. It is a true rollercoaster ride which slowly reveals more through its clever structure.
[score8]
I’m really anxious to see this (hopefully this weekend). I missed its short run at the nearest theater. I’ve heard nothing but great things about it.