Roman (Dylan O’Brien) is grieving the loss of his twin brother Rocky, and decides to attend a support group for people who have lost their twin. There he meets Dennis (James Sweeney), a young man who is in a similar situation and the two bond over their trauma. As Roman and Dennis start to spend more time together, they become dependent on one another, seeing the qualities they are missing from their twin in one another. As things appear to be going well, a secret unravels that tests Roman and Dennis’ new-found friendship, and a much darker story reveals itself.
‘Twinless’ is one of those films that’s actually near impossible to talk about. The film really is best watched completely cold, knowing as little as possible about it. If you do that, you’ll get the most out of it and the twists and turns of the plot will have a much greater impact. For that reason, I’m not going to divulge much more about what happens in the film. What I will say is that the set-up is done expertly, with Roman and Dennis falling into a natural friendship quickly and easily. Roman is straight, but his late twin Rocky was gay, so when he meets Dennis, who is also gay, he finds a substitute for the twin that he lost.
Things seem quite innocuous at first as Roman and Dennis spend a lot of time together. They find comfort and solace in one another, establishing a platonic friendship that will help them both cope with their losses. Of course, there’s much more to their chance meeting than it first appears and when the truth is revealed, it’s actually fairly shocking. We see glimpses of Rocky as we find out about him in the days leading up to his death, and that allows us to understand how his relationship with Roman worked. The two twins are so completely different, and their relationship with their mother (Lauren Graham) was very different too.
‘Twinless’ manages to cover a lot of ground during its running time. At its heart it’s a film about loss and the struggle to move through grief, but there are moments of humour in there too. Through the character of Rocky, we get a glimpse into his uninhibited approach to sexual relationships, and through both Roman and Dennis we explore what loneliness looks like in adult men. The fact that the final half hour of the film leaves you feeling incredibly conflicted, tells you that this is a film that’s been made with genuine love and care.
Dylan O’Brien, best-known for his roles in the ‘Teen Wolf’ TV series and ‘The Maze Runner’ franchise, is a revelation here. Embodying two completely different characters allows him to really flex his acting muscles, and this is by far the best performance I’ve ever seen him give. As Roman he’s complicated and layered, able to break through to the emotion of the character, whereas as Rocky he’s able to let his hair down and do something completely different. He’s matched by James Sweeney, who also wrote and directed the film, as Dennis. The character is a little odd and off-beat, and Sweeney leans into that. He brings the audience along for the ride, and his performance is nuanced and compelling.
‘Twinless’ is one of those rare films where you feel like you’ve witnessed something truly original and unique. I can’t think of any other film like it and that caught me by surprise. This is the kind of film that will grow due to word of mouth, and it’s a film that will find itself having a long shelf-life for that reason. As more people discover it, ‘Twinless’ will likely become a cult classic and it should show Dylan O’Brien in a completely new light, leading to even meatier roles for him in the future.
Cast: Dylan O’Brien, James Sweeney, Lauren Graham Director: James Sweeney Writer: James Sweeney Certificate: 15 Duration: 100 mins Released by: Sony Pictures / Park Circus Release date: 6th February 2026
