Twinless (2025) – Review

Quick thoughts: 

• Dylan O’Brien deserves award recognition. His character may not be the “brightest tool in the shed,” but he made a great “ladder” move when he took the part.
• Director/producer/writer/star James Sweeney has crafted an original and very funny film.
• Aisling Franciosi (Stopmotion, God’s Creatures, The Last Voyage of the Demeter) is excellent. Franciosi has an immense range.
• The title card appears 20 minutes into the movie. I love it. 
• The world needs a movie in which Dylan O’Brien and Lauren Graham yell at each other for 90 minutes.

When it comes to splashy film festival debuts, Twinless takes the cake (or sandwich). On top of being nominated for the Grand Jury Prize, the James Sweeney-directed film won the Audience Award (Dramatic) and netted a U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for star Dylan O’Brien. The splash came when pirated clips pulled from the festival’s online screening platform appeared on Twitter (X). The pirated clips spoiled key twists, and the film was pulled from the Sundance Film Festival online platform. The spoilers are now common knowledge, but this review is spoiler-free because Twinless is best enjoyed without any knowledge about where it’s headed. 

The twinless person is a thirtysomething (or thereabouts) man named Roman (Dylan O’Brien) who starts going to a twin support group after the death of his identical twin brother Rocky. Roman is a bulked-up bruiser who isn’t great with words and admittedly isn’t the “brightest tool in the shed.” What he lacks in vocabulary is made up for by his earnestness and loyal nature that’s hidden underneath explosive outbursts. At the support group, he becomes fast friends with a quick-witted gay man named Dennis (James Sweeney), who reminds Roman of his gay brother Rocky. Roman and Dennis are drawn together by loneliness, and it’s fun/stressful watching the friendship evolve as they shop for lemons, dress up like The Sims characters for Halloween, and belt out the Evan and Jaron song “Crazy for This Girl” while driving to a hockey game. 

In an interview with Pride Source, O’Brien said that this performance “was the most in touch I’ve ever felt as an actor and one of the things I’ll forever be most proud of in my entire life, let alone career.” It’s high praise for James Sweeney’s writing and directing prowess, and it’s deserved. O’Brien has always had a likable screen presence, and it’s been fun watching his career evolve from Teen Wolf to Twinless. He’s mostly known for his amicable screen presence and ability to run long distances in movies like Love and Monsters, and the Maze Runner trilogy. For Twinless, he packed on muscle to become a believable mini-Ivan Drago who loves boobs (there’s more to him than that). It’s not surprising that he’s excellent in the film; it’s just fun knowing that he is pushing himself to become a great all-around actor who is comfortable in any type of role. 

There’s a lot of depth to Twinless, and a great example of Sweeney’s ability to evolve characters comes through the character of Marcie (Aisling Franciosi – who is great). Marcie is a receptionist who works with Dennis at their graphic design company. At first, Marcie comes across as a bubbly personality who is defined by her cosmic optimism. As the film progresses, we learn that she’s universally beloved, super loyal, and has a psychology degree (which is the butt of a great joke). As the movie progresses, she starts up a relationship with Roman and proves to be a mature force of nature, which is exactly what Roman needs. All of the characters in Twinless have a welcome amount of depth, and it’s easy to understand why they are drawn to each other

At its core, Twinless is a stressful movie about friendship, and hopefully, the themes of loneliness and bromance won’t get overshadowed by the twists. On top of writing an excellent script, Sweeney brought in a fantastic group of artists to make the film. The cinematography by Greg Cotton is patient, and he understands what each scene needs (except for one moment that involves unnecessary short-siding). The costume design by Erin Aldridge Orr (Significant Other, Leave no Trace, All the Real Girls) incorporates comfy sweaters, form-fitting pants, and The Sims cosplay. Also, Sweeney and his location managers picked several distinctive and unique Portland-based locations that give the film added production value and personality. 

Sweeney started writing the film in 2015 after his boyfriend (who is an identical twin) broke up with him. Sweeney learned about twin support groups, and the script poured out of him. You can tell that it’s been finessed over the last 10 years as Sweeney’s been able to evolve the characters and fine-tune the quips. He also created a thorough shot list and added in split-screen moments, long takes, and flashbacks to create a visually interesting look. A lot of work went into Twinless, and it paid off. 

Final thoughts – Watch it! Avoid spoilers.