There’s something to be said of independent film that continues to carry the torch of creativity and intrigue, taking its viewers on a journey of being entertained without a huge budget or expensive special effects. With his sophomore feature Twinless, James Sweeney (Straight Up) provides a thought-provoking, provocative, dark dramedy about loss and connection.
L-R: Dylan O’Brien as Roman and James Sweeney as Dennis in TWINLESS. Photo courtesy of Roadside Attractions.
The film follows Roman (Dylan O’Brien), an angry, frustrated young man who is dealing with the loss of his identical twin brother due to a car accident. While attending a support group for twinless twins, Roman meets Dennis (played by Sweeney), an introverted gay man who is also grieving. An unlikely friendship begins between the two and it only becomes more complicated as Roman starts to fall for Dennis’s ebullient co-worker Marcie (Aisling Franciosi). As secrets start to drift towards the surface, this unlikely friendship is not the only thing at stake of being ruined. It’s hard to write about this film without giving away its major twist (which is revealed within the first 30 minutes), but the way in which Sweeney plays with subversion and narrative is revelatory. Hooking us in with this terrific mismatch of characters and keeping us on the edge of what’s coming next, Twinless is one of the most original dark dramedies in recent memory.
L-R: Dylan O’Brien as Roman, Aisling Franciosi as Marcie, and James Sweeney as Dennis in in TWINLESS. Photo courtesy of Roadside Attractions.
Performances are key for a character-driven story such as this and O’Brien (Love and Monsters) and Sweeney (Straight Up) are fantastic in their mismatched roles. O’Brien, who no doubt plays the heart of this story, carries a lot of the emotion of the film. His performance of Roman transforming from an unlikeable loser to a man that is grief-stricken and harboring many emotions inside is an amazing sight to behold. It’s the type of layered role most character-actors dream of being casted in — a character one may not care much for in the beginning who then slowly steals our hearts as the film progresses. On the flip side of expressive emotion, we have Sweeney’s turn as Dennis, a man who hides more than what he tells but is not totally inhuman. One could argue Sweeney has more of a tough job pulling together a performance of a character that has layers, not just to Dennis’s lies but also to his motivations. As the film pulls back the curtain on his character and exposes a side to him that no one else, not even Roman, knows, he appears to be a Tom Ripley in training, equally enthralling and ominous. Sweeney levels up the deception of his character by also carrying a humor to his dialogue, delivering fantastic deadpan delivery with other characters. Franciosi (Stopmotion) also delivers an understated performance as Marcie, an extroverted delight of a young woman who presents more than meets the eye when she starts to fall for Roman and understands a bit too well the nuances of Dennis’ carefully crafted personality.
L-R: Dylan O’Brien as Roman and James Sweeney as Dennis in TWINLESS. Photo courtesy of Roadside Attractions.
Carrying quadrouple duty as producer, writer, director, and actor, James Sweeney knocks it out of the park with Twinless, presenting a story that throws its audience for a loop and navigates each of its characters through interesting journeys. Sweeney’s direction is fantastic, nuanced in its transitions and near-perfect in its framing. One standout sequence to note is when Roman and Dennis show up to a Halloween party thrown by Marcie: the two men walk in with green diamonds over their heads (referencing the game The Sims, a game that carries a parallel theme to these characters and how they craft these identities of themselves, fighting so hard against what they really are and who they want to be). As each man goes off on their own journey at the party, Sweeney plays around with split screen and sound design, propelling the plot forward while also locking in on key parts of dialogue with each character. Twinless builds its tension to a gut punch of an emotional finale that is satisfying but not pandering, bittersweet but not devastating, making it one of most original dramedies to be released in recent years, and I will be awaiting what James Sweeney does next.
In select theaters beginning September 5th, 2025.
For more information, head to the official Twinless website.
Final Score: 4 out of 5.
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Categories: In Theaters, Reviews
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