Twice as emotional and honest as you’d expect.
The only twins I know personally are my cousins, and they don’t look alike, but they both have ambitious goals and free spirits. But other than that, I’m not really the guy to talk to about the reality of twins and how they view things. But after my viewing of “Twinless” from the Sundance Film Festival, here is an honest film told from a twin’s perspective and a man claiming to have one. It’s the second feature from writer/director James Sweeney, and it already feels like he knows what he’s doing.
Dylan O’Brien plays twins Rocky and Roman. Easy way to tell the difference is that Rocky has a mustache, while Roman doesn’t. I’ll my best to use pronouns, but I don’t want you readers to be confused. Rocky has just died, and now Roman is twinless. He starts going to support groups for twinless twins (they sure have support groups for a lot of things), and meets Dennis (Sweeney), who says his twin brother was killed when speeding to the airport to pick him up. They spend a lot of time at the grocery store, the gym, and a lot of other activities, even thought Roman is straight. This is a platonic relationship. But that’s not the case with this movie.
But from Dennis’ perspective, he doesn’t have a twin, but he used to date Rocky, who was gay like him. However, their love story comes to a tragic conclusion. Even though he hasn’t told Roman the truth about their chemistry yet, he still tries to make things right by setting him up with his co-worker Marcie (Aisling Franciosi), who shares Roman’s sympathy.
And from Roman’s side, he has anger problems, which is why he always argues with his mother (Lauren Graham). He also regrets calling his brother the “F” word. In fact, there’s a scene when some guys accuse him and Dennis of that word, which is why Roman beats them up. It can be a little derivative with the mother-son arguments, but there are other arguments that set the tone straight.
Here’s something that happened within the virtual screenings from Sundance. Because some people were filming the sex scenes, “Twinless” was pulled from the online platforms. And it also went for the documentary “Selena y Los Dinos,” whose fans were posting videos on TikTok and Instagram. Have they not read that Anti-Piracy policy? It’s the same thing as filming at a special screening, and there are security guards who swarm around the theater like sharks.
Now, here’s my perspective of the movie itself. I was given another look at “Twinless” recently, and I still think it’s emotional and good-hearted, even if Dennis has to lie about having a twin and not telling Roman about his brother. It chooses not to be stressful or noisy, but honest and consistent. Sweeney directs and acts on a perfect balance, and this marks the first time I’ve heard his name. I’m glad I got to know more about him. And in a dual role, O’Brien gives one of his best performances. As Roman, he struggles to find his center, and as Rocky, he has sincerity. I guess we don’t always need to see both characters on screen all the time.
Even though this is on different topics, I still was reminded of the ambiance and honesty of “A Real Pain,” which also played at this film festival last year. It’s really about people and how they view certain things, and how their perspectives can change or reemerge. I like the use of split screens for both Roman and Dennis, and I like how the film uses Evan & Jaron’s hit song “Crazy for This Girl.” In fact, because of it, I added to my mixed CD, which I play in my car. Yes, I still use mixed CDs.
“Twinless” has twice the tension, dry humor, and performances one can expect.