Sundance 2025 Review: “Twinless” – A Crowd-Pleasing Gem!
Being a twin is an experience that will never be understood by anyone who isn’t one themselves. According to statistics only about 0.5% of the population has an identical twin, making it a rare, enjoyable, yet challenging life to live that few can comprehend. Being one of these rare people with an identical sister, seeing ourselves represented in film always ranged from a gag about men getting with identical twins or two characters essentially being clones of one another in a comical way.
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James Sweeney (Straight Up [2019]), a man who is not a twin himself, seems to have immense insight on the true experience of being one. So much so he has developed a dark comedy in which he plays Dennis, a young man who joins a support group for individuals who are grieving the loss of their twin. Here he befriends Roman / Rocky (Dylan O’Brien) who is mourning the loss of his own brother Rocky after he dies in a car accident. What appears to be a film that will focus on grief and brotherhood in the wake of shared tragedy, Twinless rolls with its own punches and takes unexpected turns along the way that make it a crowd pleasing tale of two men figuring out what comes next.
Support groups are meant to bring people together in a way that lets them know they are not alone. However, a twinless support group adds a whole other level to this, joining people who have never been truly alone in their lives, having been born with a built-in best friend by their sides. Directing, writing, and starring in Twinless, James Sweeney has explored how attachment is often born from a separation from a person and their main source of support. This is shown through the loss that both Dennis and Roman share with one another and their desire to resurrect that connection with a new individual to replace their own personal loss. In this way, Sweeney is able to capture the bond that ties twins together as well as the closeness that two men develop in a world where their emotions aren’t taken as seriously.
Dylan O’Brien shares his favorite thing about his upcoming film #Twinless with us at the #Sundance premiere. pic.twitter.com/5wzojXo35r
— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) January 24, 2025
Although it is Sweeney’s film, Dylan O’Brien gives a standout performance as both Roman and Rocky, reaching a level of excruciating pain and emotion he uncovers playing both men. From what the audience is shown, Roman and Rocky could not be more different in their mannerisms, dialogue, and lifestyle. It is in O’Brien’s performance that we see two different sides to manhood through two men who physically are so similar.
There is a common pain in both men’s souls. Sweeney shows that regardless of how much changes between twins and even men, the shared human experience of loneliness and inadequacy remains constant. Adding in the character of Dennis, Twinless gives its audience three portrayals of men, that despite their differences all feel a hole where they believe something is missing.
There are subtle moments in the film that paint much larger pictures of the twin experience that Sweeney nails. The inevitable identity crisis that Roman experiences in the face of Rocky’s passing and even years before is one every twin must go through. Being young together and being involved in so many shared experiences creates a strong link where depending on one another is easy and comfortable. It isn’t until life happens that this link stretches thinner and thinner, sometimes not by choice but because of two people being pulled in different directions. This leaves a discovery that with age and time apart comes a need to develop a personal identity separate from one another.
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In a relationship where similarities create connection, it can be difficult to maintain the same type of relationship when faced with growth and the passage of time. Sweeney is able to harness the inner turmoil that twins face while also acknowledging the most beautiful type of relationship that anyone could have. Twinless tackles all of the emotions that come with growing up a twin while also feeling universal in its ideas. Finally, a story is here that gives twins the story they deserve and the laughs they can share together.
‘Twinless’ Rating – 4.5/5
Follow Steph (the Author) on IG – @cinemasteph_7
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