The Miracle of Triplets
Multiple births are not easy - neither for the mothers nor for the babies. It can be a tiring journey both mentally and physically. Having identical triplets is a rare phenomenon, in fact, the chances of having identical triplets are one in ten thousand! For example, in 2015, only four identical triplets were reported in the USA. That's a one in a million case! This rare incident happens when the fertilized egg splits and the resultant egg splits once again for triplets, and then, once again for quadruplets. However, the story behind Three Identical Strangers is not just about a family that had three identical triplets. It is more complicated and has several dark twists and turns in it. The 2018 documentary film is based on the true story where doctors and adoption agencies alike were studying the theory of nature vs. nurture by separating sets of twins, triplets and when they had the opportunity, quadruplets. Here is the story of three triplets who were few of the lucky to discover what was really happening behind closed doors.
The Background of This Story
A teenage girl at Hillside Hospital, in Glen Oaks, New York gave birth to identical quadruplets on July 12, 1961. However, since she was a single mother, as well as a teenager, she didn't feel ready to raise and take care of three babies, so she decided to put them up for adoption. Unfortunately, one of the infants died after birth, leaving three healthy babies. Life is never easy for a single mother, and back in the '60s, it was a lot tougher due to the stigma of the "working woman". Raising just one child can become difficult, and the thought of managing three kids alone must have been truly unthinkable. The poor mother did what she deemed to be the best for her kids and her situation and put them up for adoption. It was the best she could do in order to give the children a good life. Otherwise, she would have had to live the rest of her life in fear of bankruptcy. However, something happened to the three babies that their mother could never have imagined. This is where things got interesting.
Separation At Birth
Six months after their birth, an adoption agency, Louise Wise Services (which has now ceased its operations), placed the three babies in three different homes, all within 100 miles of each other. They ensured that all of the babies were living with, and being raised by, Jewish families. It is further known that all three families had also previously adopted daughters from the same agency. None of the parents, of course, knew about the existence of the two other identical babies. Meaning, they too didn't know the child they were adopting had two identical brothers. Psychiatrists Viola W. Bernard and Peter B. Neubauer were involved in this sketchy arrangement. The triplets could have had a more fulfilling life had they stayed together, but that was not what fate, or Peter Neubauer, had planned for them. Their investments in life turned out to be very different.
The Adoption
Though the three sets of prospective parents were kept in the dark about the whole scenario, they were told that the adoption of these children was part of a "routine childhood development study". In fact, it was made clear that participating in it and cooperating with the authorities, would increase the chances of expediting and clearing their adoption process. Finally, the kids were placed in three different families with three different socio-economic conditions. One of the families had a blue-collar job, another was a middle-class family, and the third family had a considerable amount of wealth. So the three brothers grew up as David Kellman, Eddy Galland, and Bobby Shafran, all three having no inkling about the situation they had been thrown into, and not a clue that they were once a set of triplets.
What Was The Point?
The reason the psychiatrists wanted these three kids to grow up in three different environments, despite being similar in so many ways, was to find out more about a decade-long experiment that involved the age-old debate of nature vs. nurture. With a history that can be traced back to medieval France and the Elizabethan Age, the whole concept is about whether human beings are more influenced by the environment where they grow up or by their genes. Naturally, the psychiatrists wanted these triplets to grow up with separate backgrounds, though all of them have the same genes. They wanted to see whether or not these triplets would grow up with similar characteristics and traits despite having different lifestyles. They probably thought this social experiment would give them all the answers to the questions unanswered.
Did The Parents Know?
The parents who adopted the three kids didn't know about the nature vs. nurture experiment at all. They believed that the children were just being a part of a child developmental study and complied with authorities when they were told participating in the study would greater their chances of adopting the children. Naturally, all the parents were too happy to comply with the rules. Any parent who is desperate to adopt will make the best investments to finally be able to welcome a child into their home. But none of the parents knew that their adopted kids were being subjected to a very intense, rather cruel experiment. Just like the three brothers, the parents came to know of this whole experiment as well as the fact that their wards were part of a triplet many years later.
Troubles As Babies
Despite having various lifestyles and being separated, the babies developed the same developmental and behavioral problems. As soon as the babies were adopted and separated, some issues were evident and all the parents later identified it as common problems among all three. The babies used to constantly bang their heads against the sides of their cribs, or walls, as they were suffering from separation anxiety from one another. In fact, when David Kellman started talking as a child, his mom, Claire, remembered vividly of the time when David told her out of the blue that he had a brother.
A Series of Tests During Their Childhood
For the first ten years, all of the brothers saw the visiting psychiatrists. The team was usually led by Dr. Peter Neubauer, who had previously worked with the daughter of Sigmund Freud. The kids were visited four times a year at first, and later, it became a yearly event. On such visitations, the boys were given a series of tests regarding their behavior, intelligence, and personality while being filmed. The experts kept following their progress and collected data about them without their knowledge for their experiment. It was later known that these brothers were not the only ones who were subjected to this kind of treatment. There were other twins and triplets who met the same kind of fate thanks to the unusual experiment. Law and order was not as stringent back then as it is now; otherwise, some attorney hopefully would have put an end to this practice.
Troubles As Teens
Soon, the three boys became teenagers, and it was found that despite growing up in different households, they still had uncanny similarities regarding certain things. For example, all of them smoked Marlboro reds, loved wrestling, and felt attracted to older women. Aside from these, their personal problems grew. Both Kellman and Galland had taken multiple trips to the mental hospital, while Shafran had pleaded guilty when charged with the murder of a woman in a robbery case. Staying apart from each other, the boys fought a lifelong battle with depression. Unfortunately, they had no idea what led to all this and why they were suffering when they thought they had the average and normal upbringing of any other boy. Who knows, if they had an inkling and if they had met during their troubled years, with a bit of counseling, things might have looked very different for them.
Robert and Edward Reunited
Fortunately, the three brothers met when they were in college under rather surprising circumstances. In 1980, Shafran went to study at the Sullivan Country Community College. Though it was his first day in college, he was astonished to see people greet him as if they knew him from before, and was a popular figure. Another student, Michael Domintz, had solved the mystery when he told Shafran that there was another guy called Edward Galland who looked exactly like him, even introducing the idea that they might be identical twins separated at birth. A phone call later, Shafran met up with Galland, and both were astounded after realizing how similar they were — from their hair and voice to their hobbies and interests. Because of this remarkable, albeit unusual, story, Edward and Robert became the talk of the country!
How David Found Out
Meanwhile, the third triplet, David Kellman, was in Queens College, a renowned university located in Flushing, New York. Because of the publicity surrounding Edward and Robert's discovery of each other, David Kellman eventually found himself staring at pictures of his long-lost brothers in various major newspapers. Astonished at how uncanny his similarities were with Edward and Robert, he readily welcomed the idea that he was the third brother. After contacting his brothers in Sullivan County Community College, the three met up and were finally reunited after 19 long years! They were extremely happy, and it seemed like even if they didn't have much in their bank accounts, they wouldn't have minded anymore.
The Close Bond They Shared
Reuniting after 19 years, the brothers couldn't let each other go. They moved in together, attended multiple late night talk shows and interviews, and explored each other's interests every day - only to be blown away by the fact of how similar they were. Their voices and the sounds of their laughter were similar and so were their IQ's (148). It definitely helped them be more stable mentally and live a good life. At times, they did feel left out when the other two got closer, but their closeness was undeniable — they always went to places together, no matter what it was for. Sometimes, they would walk down the street with one of them perched on the others' shoulders. Their love for each other worked as insurance for them at that time.
A Meeting With Their Biological Mother
With all the hullaballoo surrounding their reunion, it was hard for their mother not to notice all of the relevant details regarding the history of the triplets — the date, place, and the name of the adoption agency. Turns out that she made a mistake on her prom night which led to the teenage pregnancy and the quadruplets. Though one of them passed away after birth, the three surviving brothers decided to meet their biological mother. The meeting went well, but the brothers realized that their mother didn't have much love or affection for them, and they didn't keep in touch much more after that. Let's hope the sensational discovery didn't lead to any issues in her life that might have led her to counseling sessions!
The Triplets and Their Business Venture
Once the brothers were reunited, they wanted to do something together. Hence, after getting their college degrees, all in international marketing, they all became waiters and eventually opened a steakhouse in Manhattan and named it Triplets, a cute way to pay homage to their story and themselves. Their unique tale and the eventual reunion had gained international acclaim by then, making them all quite famous. Banking on their popularity, the restaurant did well in the beginning, but the fortune didn't last. Years later, Shafran separated from the business, and the restaurant was finally closed in 2000.
A New Life Surrounded by Fame
Since their faces were splashed in every well-known newspaper, magazine, and more, it was hard not to recognize them when they went out. After all, triplets are rare, and even rarer are identical triplets! So, people almost always recognized them wherever they went. In fact, they once met famous photographer Anne Leibovitz. Needless to say, she found them to be an extremely interesting subject and wanted to take a few shots. They went to happening places throughout the city tagging along with her. They were also spotted on the streets by director Susan Seidelman, who was shooting Desperately Seeking Susan at that time. Now you know who were the three brothers who smiled at Madonna! Aside from meeting famous photographers and having a few roles in films, they also appeared on the Today Show, Good Morning America, and The Phil Donahue Show. We hope they made sure to put some money in their banks from all that fame.
The Investigation
Along with the fun stuff, they didn't forget to look into the investigation regarding the Manhattan adoption agency that separated them at birth and kept it a secret. The agency was not much of a help, and even the parents were irritated with them and told them that they would have adopted all three of them had they known. However, after one such meeting, Shafran's mother went inside to get her umbrella that she had forgotten and found the agency workers opening a bottle of champagne. It was a clear indication that they were successful in keeping something under wraps, and that alone made the parents highly suspicious. They wanted to take legal action against them with a medical malpractice complaint but it was hard to find an attorney who would take up their case.
The Agency's Secret
Soon, they traced the agency's link with the psychiatrists involved in the experiment. It turns out that the 1950s and 1960s were an era when there were tons of developments happening in the field of psychology but weren't being monitored. The subject was trying to establish itself as a new stream of science. In fact, when Neubauer contacted some other agencies, they all refused to split up twins and triplets as the whole practice seemed to be inhumane, something that could result to adverse effects in the mental health of the children involved. After the initial complaint against the agency and Neubauer's team, no law firm would take up the case because, apparently, Neubauer's experiment was legal; no law prohibited him and his team from carrying out the grueling, rather inhumane experiment. The brothers couldn't do much about the investigation but only continue to hope that justice would be served. Meanwhile, they tried to live as normally as they could.
Adjusting To Being Together
Though the first few years went on like a dream and the trio basked in their newfound fame and increased bank accounts, it didn't seem all hunky-dory after a few years. All three got married, settled down, and even had children of their own. But the separation proved to be a big problem, especially for Edward Galland. Among the three, Edward Galland's childhood seemed to be the worst. His father couldn't quite be the man who could serve as his role model. Because of this, he always wanted to be with his brothers when they had reunited, and unfortunately, it wasn't always possible.
1995 – The Year of More Tragedy
The year 1995 was, indeed, a sad one for the Galland family as Edward took his own life after suffering from bipolar disorder. He shot himself at his residence in Maplewood, New Jersey. Sources reveal that Edward had tried to the best of his ability to get close to his brothers David and Robert, but unfortunately, things didn’t turn out the way he had expected. Maybe a counseling session would have helped, but it was too late and Edward's death took a toll on the relationship that David and Robert shared. It was too tragic a moment for the Galland family and even for the people close to them. As per reports, Edward died without knowing that he and his brothers were even part of Neubauer's experiment.
How They Fell Apart
By then, it seemed things would never be the same for the remaining brothers, but they tried to live normal lives separately. Shafran became a lawyer and settled down in Brooklyn. Kellman, on the other hand, became an insurance agent. He kept in touch with Galland's family, and even the next-generation cousins are very close. According to some reports, Shafran and Kellman did see each other during the holidays and even played golf together, but all the time they shared and bonds they built were all wasted investments after their brother's death.
The Years After
Just when they thought things would quiet down a bit, Robert and David found themselves in the spotlight once more as information on certain research papers about their involvement in Neubauer's experiment surfaced. Names of the people and organizations involved were made public; in fact, it was revealed that the National Institute of Mental Health partly donated funds to support Neubauer's "research". Many who had something to do with the experiments were ashamed of their involvement, and Neubauer himself was called out and attacked viciously regarding his research. When confronted with the controversy, he showed no remorse and even divulged that he didn't have any regrets.
Tim Wardle Approaches Robert and David
The story of David, Robert, and Edward never died but only gained more attention when Neubauer died in 2008. Tim Wardle was probably one of the many people who followed the triplets and their harrowing plight. So he and some producers approached David and Robert around 2013 and tried to convince them to be part of a documentary revolving around the triplets' story. As the brothers were not on good terms then, things became way too awkward for Tim, and knew from the beginning that he had a huge task at hand. He was adamant from the beginning that he would share the triplets’ story on the big screen and he considers himself lucky that eventually, after four years of talking and throwing the idea around, David and Robert finally agreed to make Tim's idea into a reality. The documentary was a huge hit and Wardle raked in a good sum in his bank account.
Shafran and Kellman Learn More About The Experiment
During the making of the film Three Identical Strangers, David and Robert somehow became closer to each other, and we could say they realized that the experiment had brought about a lot of changes in their personal lives and lifestyle. Maybe going through months of filming and remembering their past became a form of closure and acceptance of the messy and unfortunate events that transpired in their lives. Throughout the whole ordeal, Shafran has been of the opinion that they were subjects in human experimentation.
Victims, Not Participants
Kellman has always been vocal against the human experimentation carried out on him and his brothers. By speaking out against the study, he has maintained that Dr. Peter Neubauer’s research had shaped his whole life and the issues he and his brothers experienced when it came to their mental health. Though they were hailed as participants, Kellman never felt like one and disclosed that the brothers should be treated and referred to as victims. Neubauer had always said that the triplets would have been separated anyway, but Kellman begs to differ and believes that the bond between the siblings would have been much stronger, had they been allowed to stay and grow up together. Maybe a lawyer could have supported their cause.
Where Is The Research Paper?
Sources revealed that Neubauer left all the papers related to his research at Yale University, where he thought that all the details would stay sealed until 2065 so that none of his subjects – David, Edward, and Robert — would be alive to ever lay their hands on them. Access to the research papers at Yale University is under the supervision of the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services. The spokesperson of the Jewish Board stressed the fact that, in no way, it endorses the Neubauer research, and yet, an organization hailing from the same Jewish Board had played a major role in setting up the Neubauer’s Child Development Center in 1947.
Finally Getting Access to the Files
Neubauer's plan failed, and after months of grueling legal action, brothers David and Robert finally got access to over 11,000 pages of Neubauer's research with the help of the documentary's production team. The brothers hoped for some explanation regarding the experiment carried out to them but most of the information in the papers was redacted and didn’t disclose any formal conclusion. Shafran, a lawyer by profession himself, let the cat out of the bag and disclosed that nothing was ever done with the papers. It was a matter of disappointment for the brothers that all the observation and all the data collection eventually came to nothing. What was the point of research when absolutely nothing was derived and no analysis had a fruitful conclusion? The world continues to wonder and we believe so do Shafran and Kellman.
Was It Even Legal?
Although there were a lot of controversies surrounding the research, Newsday reported in 1997 that apparently, the study hadn’t violated any rules related to human experimentation. After the project came to light, it was revealed that no rules that govern behavioral studies were in existence at that point in time and no law prohibited the separation of the triplets. After almost half a century had passed, Neubauer's approach has certainly raised many an eyebrow and people have started to raise fingers at the integrity of the researchers and posed some uncomfortable questions. Had it occurred in recent times, a lawyer would have surely been appointed by the family.
The Study
To sum it up entirely, the study done by Neubauer examined the triplets - Robert, David, and Edward - who were adopted by three different families when they were all six months old. Their separation was carried out as nature vs. nurture twin study, in order to track the progress of genetically similar siblings who were brought up in distinctive environments. The brothers eventually came to know about their existence at 19 years of age, and together, they decided to find out the circumstances under which they had to suffer the separation. Edward, later on, went through a bipolar disorder and even a visit to rehab couldn’t stop him from taking his own life. After years of emotional distress caused by the experiment, the remaining brothers Robert and David have requested a public apology and compensation from the Jewish Board, the organization responsible for helping Neubauer carry out his study.
Life Today
At the time they faced the cameras, they appeared less like siblings and more like old war buddies who were still reeling under certain trauma. Today, both of them are settled in life and have maintained a safe distance from a bankruptcy lawyer. Both the brothers had admitted that the study has shaped their life up in a different way and has lots of nice things to say about Three Identical Strangers, a documentary on their lives, that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2018 where it grabbed the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award in the storytelling category and was also short-listed for an Academy Award in the Best Documentary Feature category.
Shafran Today
Robert Shafran a.k.a. Bobby Sharfran resides in Gravesend, Brooklyn, and is a lawyer by profession. He has also made appearances in the talk show The View and the live magazine program The One Show. As mentioned earlier, Robert left their restaurant business in order to pursue law, and his success has enabled him to stay away from bankruptcy till now. After Eddy died, his relationship with David grew sour, and it seemed that the two wouldn’t come on talking terms ever again. When Tim Wardle decided to shoot the two for his documentary, everything was on a knife’s edge and things were really awkward between them. However, their relationship has undergone a sea change today.
Kellman Today
David Kellman is also leading a life his own way. He piles up a substantial net worth in his banks by working as an independent general agent in life insurance, annuities, and Medicare — and he is doing quite well at that. Even though his relationship with his existing brother, Robert, has been under stress after their third brother, Eddy, passed away, things have been a bit okay after they came together for the documentary. He stays in touch with Eddy’s wife and daughter and maintains quite a warm relationship with the family. That’s, indeed, a good piece of information that we got from him and we are pleased that things have fallen in place.
The Documentary Premieres At Sundance 2018
After months of filming finally getting access to Neubauer's research papers, brothers Robert and David are in the spotlight once more. Tim Waddle’s documentary, Three Identical Strangers is based on the lives of the triplets, Edward Galland, Robert Shafran, and David Kellman, who were separated from each other at the age of a meager six months and then reunited at the age of 19. The documentary also deals with all the ups and downs that happened in their lives afterward and how the brothers found themselves emotionally troubled. The movie premiered at the popular Sundance Film Festival in 2018 and was one of those 15 films that were selected for the Academy Awards among 166 competitors. Banking on its emotional quotient, Three Identical Strangers won a special jury award at Sundance.
Three Identical Strangers Becomes An Award-Winning Film
The documentary by Tim Wardle has been on everyone’s lips after it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2018 and even grabbed a special jury prize. Well, FYI, that’s not the only award it has in its kitty. Three Identical Strangers has won a Critics’ Choice Documentary Award in the Most Compelling Living Subject of a Documentary category, a Cinema Eye Honors Awards, an Audience Award at the Chicago Critics Film Festival, an Audience Award at the Berkshire International Film Festival, Dublin Film Critics Circle Awards, so on and so forth, aside from being nominated for many others. Looks like Wardle’s investment in the film has reaped great dividends.
International Outcry
Three Identical Strangers is, indeed, a heart-touching story of three brothers Edward, Robert, and David who were born triplets but were given away to three different families in order to have a detailed study on nature vs nurture, depending on their lifestyle. The story has touched the hearts of millions and has gone down as one of the most emotional documentaries ever made. It has witnessed a lot of protests from people all over the world who have strongly opposed the way the little babies were taken away from one another just to conduct a study on human experimentation. After almost half a century had passed, Neubauer's approach has certainly raised many an eyebrow and people have started to raise fingers at the integrity of the researchers and posed some uncomfortable questions. Because of the documentary's success, none has supported the exploitation and many have vowed not to let these things happen in the future.
The Search For Answers – Still Not Over
David and Robert had long been in emotional turmoil after their brother, Edward shot himself dead. But they have always been seeking out the answers as to why it happened to them, why were they separated from each other and used as subjects, or rather victims, and why were the studies never completed. After going through over 11,000 pages of Neubeaur’s research, none of them could decipher why he hadn’t revealed anything official about the study. They still demand action against the injustice done, but, Neubauer's death might have sealed everything, it seems. While they can only move on with their lives and make investments in bettering themselves, the harrowing journey that they have gone through will remain etched in their memories forever.