Directed by: James Sweeney
Written by: James Sweeney
Run Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Recently, cinema has been seeing double, with many actors performing dual roles. Robert Pattinson in Mickey 17, Robert DeNiro in The Alto Nights and Michael B. Jordan in Sinners – for which he received an Oscar nomination – are only a handful of the actors who, of late, have given audiences two for the price of one. Now, James Sweeney’s dark comedy-drama Twinless, is the latest film to feature this same trend, offering a double dose of Dylan O’Brien as twin brothers Roman and Rocky.
The film follows Roman (Dylan O’Brien) and Dennis (James Sweeney), two men who meet at a support group for bereaved twins. The pair quickly form a close connection and start to hangout outside of the group; gaming, watching hockey matches and even grocery shopping together. However when Roman begins dating Dennis’ work colleague, Marcie (Aisling Franciosi), their bromance begins to break down.
Twinless is the kind of film that audiences will think they have all worked out: surely it’s just a standard weepy that sees two grieving men help each other get over their respective losses? Well, after an opening twenty minutes or so that might support this idea, writer, director and star James Sweeney swiftly shatters any expectations that this is all there is to his sophomore film. Instead, he ambitiously extends his genre reach taking Twinless from straightforward grief drama to psychological dark comedy.
In turn, this plot detour gives the characters’ friendship new meaning, or at least for the audience, who can now see the difference in intention between Roman and Dennis. The change in perspective does take some adjusting to, but regardless of this tonal shift, Roman’s story, as he mourns the loss of his twin Rocky, remains very moving. This is in large part due to Dylan O’Brien’s especially endearing performance. He gives Roman’s many himbo-esque tendencies a really loveable quality. Whether it’s his confusion over common phrases, his protective instincts towards his new friend, or his anger over his twin’s passing, O’Brien effortlessly invites empathy from the audience at all times.
His portrayal of Roman is wonderful, and easily one of the strongest performances of his career to date, but Twinless doesn’t stop there, treating audiences to a second performance from the talented young actor. As Rocky, while identical in appearance – well, bar a nicely groomed moustache and a distinctly queer wardrobe – he’s entirely different in character, but just as charming. This dual role isn’t an equal one though, with his time as Rocky being rather short-lived, perhaps apparent from the premise. Yet it’s still a great addition to the film, one that shows both O’Brien’s versatility as an actor and also allows the audience to become more involved in both Roman and Dennis’ stories.
Where Twinless starts to struggle though, is with Dennis. As unlike Roman, he’s not particularly likeable. In fact, his actions, which become increasingly unhinged as the story unfolds, threaten to significantly disrupt the film. Of course Sweeney takes the character here with clear intention, because as frustrating as Dennis’ behaviour can be it is used well as a tool to explore one of the film’s key themes: queer loneliness. Dennis’ extreme antics demonstrate the powerful effect this can have, leading to desperation, depression and even deceit. However Twinless is careful never to excuse Dennis’ problematic behaviour, rather it reminds audiences that depiction does not mean endorsement, as it quite clearly condemns his choices and conduct on numerous occasions. Yet, it’s still uncomfortable to watch and somewhat upsets the rhythm of Roman’s far more earnest experience which is already being enjoyed by the audience.
But it’s this conflict that ultimately drives the narrative forward, through this uneven territory as the inevitable fallout approaches. Thankfully, Sweeney has enough creativity as writer and director to keep any alienation of his audience at bay. Amongst his imaginative ideas a split-screen party sequence stands out most, not dissimilar to the one seen in Marc Webb’s (500) Days of Summer (2009). But he moves in less flashy ways too, adding notable silences through breaks in the film’s soundscape, revealing the emptiness and dissociation his main characters now often encounter. Then these momentary glimpses into their psyches are balanced out with an amusing collection of minor characters, played by the likes of Chris Perfetti and Susan Park, who breeze in and out helping to bring a levity alongside these heavier moments.
This array of artistic choices and range of characters shows that Sweeney is not afraid to experiment, but there’s perhaps one idea too many to fit into a single cohesive narrative. As ironically, Twinless does feel like a film of two halves – and one works considerably better than the other. In giving his film the extra, and arguably unnecessarily cynical edge that he does, Sweeney instantly doubles his workload – and at times struggles to juggle it. Yet, with such a fun mixture of ideas, tonal variety and several shining performances, Twinless simultaneously takes on a life of its own, and despite its focus on twins, stands out as a real one-of-a-kind.
Star Rating: ★ ★ ★
TWINLESS is in UK & Irish cinemas 6 February. For cinemas click HERE.
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