Neon has released the first trailer for the critically acclaimed documentary Three Identical Strangers, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year to rave reviews. Directed by Tim Wardle, the film tells the story of three strangers who discovered in the early 1980s—as 19-year-olds—that they were actually triplets separated at birth. All three had been adopted into very different families, and thus the documentary becomes a fascinating chronicle of the nature vs. nurture debate as three kids with identical DNA had very different upbringings. But as the secret to their separation is slowly revealed, the film takes shocking turn after shocking turn and leaves you absolutely gob-smacked by the time the credits roll.

I caught the film at Sundance and it’s stayed with me ever since. This trailer does a nice job of teasing the story but not revealing too many of the twists and turns, which is good because it’s the kind of documentary that’s best viewed completely cold. So if you already know you’re going to see this movie, I would actually advise against watching the trailer. I know the experience I had at Sundance, with zero expectations, was something I’ll never forget.

Once Three Identical Strangers hits theaters I expect it’ll start a pretty heated and interesting conversation, so I’m really eager for folks to get a look at it. For now, I’ll just say it’s one of the best films I’ve seen all year and one of the most surprising documentaries I’ve seen in my life.

Check out the Three Identical Strangers trailer below and click here to read my full review. The film opens in theaters on June 29th.

Here’s the official synopsis for Three Identical Strangers:

Tim Wardle’s acclaimed documentary THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS is the most amazing, incredible, remarkable true story ever told. Times three.

 

Three strangers are reunited by astonishing coincidence after being born identical triplets, separated at birth, and adopted by three different families. Their jaw-dropping, feel-good story instantly becomes a global sensation complete with fame and celebrity, however, the fairy-tale reunion sets in motion a series of events that unearth an unimaginable secret - a secret with radical repercussions for us all.

 

Winner of Sundance Film Festival’s Special Jury Award, THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS is an exuberant celebration of family that transforms into a thriller with colossal implications and proof that life is truly is stranger than fiction.

three-identical-strangers-poster