IMDB
There’s no sentence or phrase that can truly capture the magic of “Twinless.” Written and directed by James Sweeney, “Twinless” made waves at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, winning the audience award and arousing critical buzz after the festival. Eight months later, we can all finally experience this peculiarly poignant and heartbreaking exploration of grief and loneliness.
“Twinless” follows Roman (Dylan O’Brien) and Dennis (Sweeney) who meet at a grief counseling group for people that have lost their twin. The first 20 minutes of the film focus on Roman and his all-encompassing grief as he works through the death of his twin brother. A fantastic delayed title drop shifts the film’s perspective to a wonderfully weird Dennis and the loss he battles within his own life.
The film has a fantastic visual language that complements the sharpness of Sweeney’s script. Many of the shots play with the idea of a split, whether that be through lines of windows, physical barriers or a person standing between a pair of people. There is an absolutely stunning sequence in the middle of the film in which Sweeney uses a split screen to show how Dennis and Roman separately move around at a Halloween party. The screen splits when they are physically separate and conjoins when the two find each other again, the image widening until they are onscreen together once more. Sweeney clearly has a great eye for detail, and there are many frames that are as beautiful as they are interesting in how they wordlessly propel the narrative.
The wonderfully quick editing and dialogue shoulder much of the comedic legwork in “Twinless.” The lines bounce between the characters with graceful ease. The story’s second act is filled with such moments, particularly a sequence of scenes after the film’s title drop that provide the most outrageous pieces of the storyline. “Twinless” masterfully toes the line between absurdity and realism, creating a one-of-a-kind experience.
Above all, “Twinless” is compelling in its moving exploration of grief and loneliness. Being a twin — one half of a pair — represents security; it means having someone in your corner no matter what. You share a face and, in a way, the same heart and soul. Both Roman and Dennis try to grapple with the consequences of losing that security, questioning if they are enough as the remaining half of a split pair. The film tackles this with bitter and sharp humor, leaving you strangely comforted by its take on what it means to find and lose your other half.
Some incredible performances serve to anchor the narrative in “Twinless” to reality, elevating its intriguing atmosphere and story. O’Brien is a clear standout as Roman, appearing completely seized by grief and filled with anger as he tries to move on from the loss of his twin, Rocky. O’Brien is vulnerable and completely embodies Roman, making for a particularly heartbreaking performance. His turn as Rocky is charming for the short screen time he is given — a magnetic presence that helps you understand why Rocky was so loved by the people around him.
Next to him, Sweeney deftly moves as Dennis, a man with a questionably strange set of morals. His awkwardness is charming as he delivers his lines in a rapid, pointed manner equally hilarious and painful. Dennis’ loneliness feels fierce and all-consuming thanks to Sweeney’s performance. Aisling Franciosi is another standout as Dennis’ sweet coworker, Marcie, whose empathy has no bounds. Though Marcie does feel a bit too sweetly unaware at moments, Franciosi does a wonderful job of adding an inexplicable kindness to Marcie, creating a character that is more than what her first impression may suggest.
Hilarious, heartbreaking and unusually comforting, “Twinless” is an experience that just can’t be fully encapsulated. It’s a carefully crafted narrative that is equal parts hysterical, fascinating and thrilling. The more I dwell on it, the more I find there really is nothing quite like “Twinless”; it wears its uniqueness with a sly smile, displaying a heart full of its own delightfully strange brand of empathy.