Three Identical Strangers (⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2). The places this 2018 documentary takes a viewer are incredibly varied, from joyful reunions all the way into the darkest of institutional crimes.
I feel the haunted by this story, so much so, that when JF&CS did not do the right thing nor admit their wrong, I never gave them another dime and have urged others to do the same. So morally repugnant!
I remember watching the film after seeing your Globe review, and being blown away by it. So well done and so haunting. (BTW still miss you at the Globe! Though this substack is very welcome!)
The highs and lows in the documentary truly defy belief. As you say, unforgettable. Will pass on your rec; I re-watch a lot, but Three Identical is too painful to do so.
I want to just add that after we saw the film, I tried to be proactive, and so I called the agency and asked them why they didn't acknowledge what had happened. I reminded them about the Tylenol story, (how they fairly quickly admitted what happened and how they were going to prevent it in the future - and how fast the public moved on.) I said that doing the right thing mattered a lot here and would help in healing. Of course, I got no response. Sad but true.
I watched this the other day and can't say I was all that impressed, for some reason. Yeah, it was brutal and incomprehensible but there are worse. It was ... fine. Just watched Dear Zachary (again) and that is a killer.
Great choice Ty!
I feel the exact same way as you do. It was an excellent documentary that does haunt the viewers for years to come.
I feel the haunted by this story, so much so, that when JF&CS did not do the right thing nor admit their wrong, I never gave them another dime and have urged others to do the same. So morally repugnant!
I remember watching the film after seeing your Globe review, and being blown away by it. So well done and so haunting. (BTW still miss you at the Globe! Though this substack is very welcome!)
The highs and lows in the documentary truly defy belief. As you say, unforgettable. Will pass on your rec; I re-watch a lot, but Three Identical is too painful to do so.
I want to just add that after we saw the film, I tried to be proactive, and so I called the agency and asked them why they didn't acknowledge what had happened. I reminded them about the Tylenol story, (how they fairly quickly admitted what happened and how they were going to prevent it in the future - and how fast the public moved on.) I said that doing the right thing mattered a lot here and would help in healing. Of course, I got no response. Sad but true.
I watched this the other day and can't say I was all that impressed, for some reason. Yeah, it was brutal and incomprehensible but there are worse. It was ... fine. Just watched Dear Zachary (again) and that is a killer.