The Reel Review
While mourning the recent death of his twin brother, Roman strikes up a friendship with Dennis at a bereavement support group for now-twinless twins. They quickly become one another’s surrogate brothers, until a horrible truth is revealed. Dylan O’Brien, James Sweeney and Lauren Graham star in this dramedy that Sweeney also wrote and directed.
Twinless is a refreshingly original film that strikes the rare, perfect balance between exploring the heartbreak of grief, loneliness and co-dependency alongside some very cringeworthy dark humor. O’Brien, in particular, shows incredible range, from the more outgoing but now-deceased gay brother to his surviving twin, a much more reserved, straight lunkhead whose big heart is masked by anger management issues. After Dennis introduces Roman to his always upbeat co-worker Marcie – an also excellent Aisling Franciosi (Speak No Evil, God’s Creatures) – their friendship takes a dramatic turn.
While the big twist itself isn’t all that surprising, certain stomach-churning details of it definitely are. It would have been nice to see an underutilized Graham (Gilmore Girls) given a meatier role as Roman’s grieving mother, and not all of the film’s humor hits its mark, but enough of it does to make Twinless a unique and memorable story about grief and loss, and the strange ways we sometimes process it.
REEL FACTS
• in 2016 Dylan O’Brien underwent extensive surgeries after a stunt accident on the set of Maze Runner: The Death Cure left him with brain trauma and a shattered right side of his face. O’Brien’s next film is the 2025 thriller Anniversary, co-starring Diane Lane and Kyle Chandler.
• The song Roman and Dennis sing in the car is “Crazy for This Girl” by the identical twin duo Evan and Jaron.
• Sacramento native James Sweeney also wrote, directed and starred in 2019’s Straight Up, a non-sexual romcom about a gay man and his straight female soulmate.
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