PARK CITY, UTAH Jan. 29 (UPI) — Twinless, which screened at the Sundance Film Festival, is a unique movie about characters in pain making questionable decisions. While not always sympathetic, the exploration of coping mechanisms is bold.
Roman’s (Dylan O’Brien) twin brother Rocky died in an automobile accident. In a twin death support group he meets Dennis (James Sweeney).
Dennis is gay and Roman is not but they form a friendship. The film soon reveals that Dennis knew Rocky and is keeping more secrets.
Without spoiling more twists, it is safe to say that lying to a grieving person is at best selfish. It would be fair to say Dennis is manipulating and emotionally abusing Roman too.
There is humor in this dark tale. Dennis is socially awkward but more knowledgeable than Roman. So Dennis often corrects Roman when he misspeaks.
Roman also has anger issues, which he can direct at innocent characters, like his mother (Lauren Graham). It’s a bit easier to empathize since he’s grieving his twin but still volatile to be around him.
Sweeney, who wrote and directed, gave himself the most troubled and troubling character. It becomes insufferable watching Dennis continue to justify his made-up identity.
And yet as a writer, Sweeney shows he can create an absolutely wonderful character in Marcie (Aisling Franciosi). Marcie is the receptionist at Dennis’s office and begins dating Roman.
Marcie is supportive and encouraging of others but also firm with boundaries and will not tolerate lies or abuse. Both men can learn a lot from Marcie and they do, a little.
Marcie being around catches Dennis in more lies. Dennis becomes more unhinged when Marcie questions his claims and it becomes more uncomfortable to watch.
Twinless deals with many relatable subjects like grief, loneliness (perhaps neediness), anger, connection and more. Its unorthodoxy is equal parts refreshing and challenging, but that’s what cinema is all about.
Fred Topel, who attended film school at Ithaca College, is a UPI entertainment writer based in Los Angeles. He has been a professional film critic since 1999, a Rotten Tomatoes critic since 2001, and a member of the Television Critics Association since 2012 and the Critics Choice Association since 2023. Read more of his work in Entertainment.
