TWINLESS

THREE AND A HALF STARS Two men bond at a therapy session for grieving twins. Not all is as it seems.

COMEDY-DRAMA US English #TWINLESS Starring Dylan O'Brien, James Sweeney

James Sweeney’s sly, dark comedy opens at a funeral, with Roman (MAZERUNNER's Dylan O’Brien) and his mother receiving mourners after the death of his gay twin brother, Rocky (also O’Brien). It’s an awkward affair as the grieving line up to offer condolences only to burst into tears when they come face to face with living Roman, the spitting image of dead Rocky. Funny that, and it’s as funny as it is weird.

Angry with everyone, Roman joins a bereavement support group for siblings processing the loss of a twin. He meets Dennis (Sweeney) over inedible food and lukewarm drinks. He’s a quick-witted gay man and everything Roman isn’t; they strike up a friendship that helps fill the gaping hole left by their respective brothers. They go grocery shopping for company which all seems innocent enough. But Dennis is quite what he seems, and before long Roman will have to contend with the fact that his new BFF and surrogate twin may not be telling the whole truth.

Writer/director/star Sweeney is very comfortable walking a tonal and thematic tightrope. His first feature about a young gay man so turned off by sex was an anti-rom-com about sexual identity and OCD. He brings the same taught sensibility to this bereavement-comedy as it jumps unexpectedly between dry humour and emotional gut-punches. There’s a hint of Almodovar about the quirky narrative which doesn’t always land with a perfect 10, yet even when TWINLESS stumbles, it stands tall in other ways. 

It’s best to watch this clever deception with as little awareness as possible, so be warned, spoilers ahead. Early scenes feel like a tender bromance, two men helping each other out. Then, thirty or so minutes in, Sweeney rolls credits and signals a mood shift as he turns focus from Roman to Dennis, a man who knows much more about Rocky than he first let on, a man who has a ‘thing about twins’ and who is more fragile and dangerous than first thought. Sweeney turns it up to eleven when Roman falls for one of Dennis’s co-worker, a smart woman who starts joining some uncomfortable dots. Ripley anyone? These heightened stakes forces TWINLESS to hold tight to the balancing pole as it traverses its own tightrope.

Sweeney and O’Brien (pulling commendable double duty) work extremely well together, adjusting to each other’s changing characters and the unique demands of the evolving roles. O’Brien nails the transformation from one brother (moody) to another. (seductive and quick-witted - a match for Sweeney’s swooning Dennis). Sweeney is also sharp enough as a director to know when his costar should take the front seat, benefiting the film as a whole.

Visually, TWINLESS is not winning awards but what makes it special and surprisingly compassionate is how it explores grief. In one of it’s most moving scenes, Roman falls to pieces while talking to Dennis as if he were Rocky. The torrent of emotion is surprising and raw. Then film spins on a dime in ways no less surprising nor raw. 

It’s a rare talent that can pull off a table-turning, grieving-stalker-comedy. Although TWINLESS doesn’t always land it’s moves, the off-kilter sensibility compels from the opening scene. And in those moments when it does land, it scores a ten.

TWINLESS screened at The Sydney Film Festival 2025.

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