Is Triptych a true story? Inspiration for Netflix series, is it based on Three Identical Strangers documentary

Netflix thriller Triptych is currently working its way up the top 10 chart. The Mexican Spanish language series debuted on February 22 and was inspired by a true story.

Directed by Leonardo D’Antoni and created by screenwriter Leticia López Margalli, the mystery drama follows forensics expert Becca (played by Matie Perroni), who turns up at the scene of a crime only to discover the murder victim looks just like her. Becca begins her own investigation and soon learns she has more in common with the victim than just her looks.

The eight episode drama is inspired by real life events, so what is the true story behind Triptych? Here’s everything you need to know.

Is Triptych a true story?

The series claims that it is “inspired by actual events”, with the inspiration not specified, however according to Netflix, they hint the true story the series is depicted on could be that of the 2018 documentary Three Identical Strangers. The film tells the harrowing true story of triplets Eddy Galland, David Kellman and Bobby Shafran who were separated at birth and adopted by different families under a social experience dubbed the “Twin Study”.

The triplets were born on July 12, 1961 in Glen Oaks, New York. At six months old they were separated by the Manhattan adoption agency Louise Wise Services. They would go on to live within just 100 miles from one another, with neither their parents nor the brothers knowing that they had siblings, only discovering one another by chance as adults.

According to Latch, they were reunited in 1980 when they were 19-years-old after a case of misidentification. Their story made them an overnight sensation with appearances in Madonna’s movie Desperately Seeking Susan and opening a restaurant in Soho called Triplets.

Where are the real triplets now?

After discovering the truth the three brothers questioned the experiment they had unwittingly been forced to participate in. It had had a devastating impact on their mental health, with Galland dying in 1995. Following this, the other two brothers grew apart.

Reported by the New York Post in 2018, Kellman outlined the “separation anxiety” they had experienced as children. He said: “It was absolutely separation anxiety. Those who were studying us saw there was a problem happening. And they could have helped. That’s the thing we’re most angry about. They could have helped . . . and didn’t.” Whilst Shafran added that he couldn’t “think of anybody else in modern times that has done anything like this. The other comparisons I can think of would be the Tuskegee syphilis experiment, where they let them all get syphilis and let it go untreated, and they died horrible deaths.”

How is Triptych different from the real story?

The two stories couldn’t be anymore different, with Triptych set in Mexico and the real story taking place in America. The Netflix drama also follows the story of three identical sisters, with the fictional character of Becca discovering a victim who looks just like her during her line of work as a forensics expert. The series appears to only have taken slight inspiration from the true story, with the only similarity being the sisters discovering by chance that they were separated at birth.

The official Netflix synopsis reads: “After learning she was separated at birth from her two identical sisters, Rebecca embarks on a perilous journey to uncover the truth about her origins.”

Where can you watch Three Identical Strangers?

The documentary film is available to watch on Netflix.