Dylan O’Brien’s Funny Search for Identity

James Sweeney’s Twinless is a film that plays with perception — both our own and that of its characters — turning grief into something slippery, sometimes comical, and often deeply unsettling. It forces us to reckon with grief in all its forms, whether mourning a lost loved one or grieving the life that might have been. This is a film about twinhood and the unique, irreplaceable bond it entails, but also about what happens when that bond is severed, leaving only memories behind. With a sharp script and a mesmerizing dual performance from Dylan O’Brien, who seamlessly inhabits the vastly different personalities of Roman and Rocky, Twinless manages to be both tender and biting, a meditation on loss in an era where identity has never been more fluid — or more easily manipulated.

Sweeney, who writes, directs, produces, and co-stars, crafts a narrative that is as much about deception as it is about grief. The film follows Roman (O’Brien), whose twin brother, Rocky, has recently died in a tragic car accident. At the funeral, a violinist struggles to hold a tune, a quick, darkly comic moment that sets the film’s offbeat tone. Everyone comments on how much Roman looks like his brother, a sentiment that lands somewhere between banal and existentially terrifying. Untethered and emotionally adrift, he begins attending a bereavement group for twins, where he meets Denis (Sweeney), an equally lonely young man who claims to have lost his own twin. They form an immediate and intense bond, orbiting each other in a way that feels comforting but increasingly uneasy.

Twinless is not a film that hands you its story in a neat, linear fashion. There’s something about Denis that doesn’t quite fit — an uncanny familiarity, a secret pressing just beneath his skin. Without spoiling too much, let’s just say that his motivations aren’t exactly what they seem, and his connection to Rocky is far more complicated than Roman realizes. The way Sweeney structures this revelation is deft, allowing the audience to slowly piece together the truth even as Roman remains in the dark. It’s a film that trusts its viewers, rewarding close attention with subtle visual and narrative cues that only grow richer upon reflection.

Comedy as a Survival Mechanism

Twinless

Release Date

January 23, 2025

Runtime

100 Minutes

Director

James Sweeney

Writers

James Sweeney

Producers

David Permut, Ali Jazayeri, Elizabeth Destro, Miky Lee, Dylan O’Brien

Pros & Cons

• Dylan O’Brien gives an incredible dual performance.
• A surprisingly funny and witty film that is also insightful into grief and loss.
• Sweeney uses his aesthetic to cleverly depict male loneliness and the effect of twins.

One of Twinless’ greatest strengths is its ability to balance humor with melancholy. The script is razor-sharp, filled with understated, observational humor that never undercuts the emotional stakes. At the twin bereavement group, one attendee makes ill-timed jokes, highlighting the awkward absurdity of communal grief. There’s a moment involving an Olson twins reference that is so unexpected, yet so perfectly placed, it lingers long after the credits roll. The humor doesn’t exist to make grief more palatable; rather, it serves to highlight how absurd and inescapable grief can be.

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And then there are the pop-tarts. A seemingly throwaway moment — Roman eating a single pop-tart, something we later learn was a rare occurrence in his twin-filled past — becomes a quiet, devastating piece of visual storytelling. Sweeney excels at finding these small cinematic details that say everything about his characters without needing to over-explain.

A Contemporary Approach to Cinematography and Sound

Republic Pictures

Visually, Twinless is striking. The cinematography is carefully constructed, often placing Denis in frames within frames, emphasizing his sense of disconnection. At the exact halfway point of the film, an unusual visual sequence marks a shift, playing with time and memory in a way that feels both disorienting and deeply intentional. The film isn’t just telling a story — it’s visually embodying Denis and Roman’s fractured emotional state.

Sound design also plays a crucial role, subtly guiding us through Roman’s shifting mental landscape. Conversations fade in and out depending on his level of engagement, and moments of silence hit harder than any score could. There are times when we, the audience, are fully included in a conversation, and times when we are held at a distance, forced to experience the isolation Roman feels.

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And then, of course, there’s the late opening credits — a rare, but effective choice that allows the audience to settle into the world before officially being introduced to what is actually going on. Like the rest of Twinless, it’s a choice that feels intentional, earned, and refreshing in a cinematic landscape that often relies too heavily on exposition.

Grief, Identity, and the Uncanny Valley of the Self

Republic Pictures

Being a twin is a singular experience, one that many of us will never fully understand. It is the closest human equivalent to being born with a built-in mirror — someone who reflects you, who amplifies you, who exists alongside you in a way no one else can. Losing that mirror is a kind of existential fracture. Roman’s grief, though repressed, seeps into everything he does. He avoids facing it, simulating Rocky’s presence in his life in a way that mirrors the logic of video games — if he doesn’t process the loss, maybe it hasn’t really happened.

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Sweeney’s film loops in circles, literally and figuratively, using visual and narrative repetition to evoke the cyclical nature of grief. Frames within frames trap Roman in moments of reflection, and subtle shifts in cinematography delineate when he is fully present and when he is dissociating. The film even plays with the idea of a twinless world on a grander scale — through digital manipulation. Photoshop becomes a metaphor for loneliness, for how easy it is to create an alternate reality when the real one is too painful to bear.

And then there’s Denis. His presence in Roman’s life is both soothing and unsettling, a stand-in for something lost, yet undeniably not what was lost. Denis’ desperation to maintain their bond, to keep Roman close, taps into something deeper: the male loneliness epidemic. Twinless understands the quiet, aching absence that lingers in contemporary friendships, particularly among men, and how easily it can tip into codependency, or something darker.

Male Loneliness and the Emotional Repression Epidemic

Republic Pictures

Twinless is, at its core, a film about the contemporary crisis of male intimacy. American independent cinema has long explored themes of male alienation (First Reformed, Manchester by the Sea). Sweeney, though, brings a uniquely contemporary perspective, tapping into the particular flavor of detachment found in a digital world where identity is malleable and loneliness is ever-expanding. The relationship between Roman and Denis is an exaggerated but painfully familiar portrait of male friendship — fraught with unspoken emotions, built on activities rather than verbalized feelings. Twinless suggests that male loneliness isn’t just about a lack of connection, but about the fear of truly being seen.

Sweeney’s own performance as Denis is a revelation — his comedic timing makes the character’s more unsettling moments land with unnerving charm. Dylan O’Brien, meanwhile, delivers one of his most nuanced performances, playing Roman with a restraint that allows the film’s most painful moments to land without over-explanation. His performance is a testament to the power of subtlety; he allows the audience to sit in Roman’s emotions rather than force-feeding them.

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Aisling Franciosi, best known for her harrowing performance in The Nightingale, brings an entirely different energy to Twinless as Marcie, Denis’ emotionally intelligent and compassionate colleague who also becomes Roman’s love interest. In a film that largely revolves around male grief and deception, Marcie is a breath of fresh air — an anchor of clarity and warmth. While many female love interests in male-focused stories function as little more than narrative devices, Marcie is a fully realized character who holds Roman accountable for his anger and sees through Denis’ manipulations. Franciosi’s performance is understated yet essential, grounding Twinless with a quiet wisdom that makes her one of the film’s most compelling presences.

A Reflection on Loss and the Search for Meaning

The final frames of Twinless leave us with no easy answers. The film suggests that grief is not something to be solved, nor something that can be replaced with a new connection. The need to be known — to be witnessed — is fundamental to the human experience, but Twinless asks us to consider what happens when that desire clouds our ability to truly see others.

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Sweeney has crafted a film that feels distinctly contemporary yet timeless in its themes. Twinless speaks to a generation raised on digital identities, where it’s easy to manipulate reality, but difficult to form meaningful bonds. It is about how loss reshapes identity, how grief refuses to be linear, and how the echoes of those we love linger long after they’re gone.

As the late credits roll — another rare and intentional cinematic choice — one thing becomes clear: Twinless is not just a film about losing a twin. It is a film about the unbearable loneliness of being the one left behind. Twinless screened at the Sundance Film Festival and will screen again on Feb. 1, 2025, and is also available to watch online through Feb. 2. Find more information here.

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