Twinless

by Mike McGranaghan

Roman (Dylan O’Brien) is in a support group for people whose twin siblings have died. Aptly self-described as “not the brightest bulb in the shed,” he mourns the sudden passing of his brother in a pedestrian/vehicle accident. Mom Lisa (Lauren Graham) has noticed his uncontrolled anger and insists he get help. In this group, Roman meets Dennis (James Sweeney), a shy, gay young man who feels responsible for his own twin’s death. These two guys form a tight, almost brotherly bond.

Twinless is about how that friendship evolves and trust me when I say there are some big surprises. Talking about this movie without spoiling certain things is difficult. I’ll just say that Dennis, not Roman, is really the main character in many respects. Early on, it’s revealed that he knew Roman’s brother – a detail he keeps to himself, leading us to wonder what, specifically, his endgame is in befriending Roman.

Many scenes humorously portray the bond that develops between these two vastly different personalities, including one where they attend a Halloween party dressed like characters from The Sims. There’s good-natured comedy in how the slightly dim Roman connects to the smarter but less inherently charismatic Dennis. They are a genuine odd couple, leaning on each other during a shared time of mourning.

Other scenes have a more dramatic thrust. Roman’s angry side, for example, is unleashed when a stranger hurls a homophobic slur at Dennis. The movie takes seriously the idea that losing a twin represents a distinct kind of loss, almost akin to losing a part of oneself, like an arm or a leg. Roman struggles with that while also working to make himself happy. That comes in the form of a new girlfriend, Marcie (Speak No Evil’s Aisling Franciosi). As Dennis’s coworker, she begins to notice a few discrepancies in his story…but that’s the area we won’t tread into.

In addition to playing one of the leads, James Sweeney wrote and directed Twinless. He’s clearly interested in the idea of obsession, particularly the notion that a person can fill a void left by somebody else. Dennis is a true friend to Roman, except in the ways that he isn’t, and those ways involve trying to figure out how to wrangle his own grief. The movie contains a fascinating dual edge. We feel warm-hearted over the establishment of this friendship yet also recognize that Dennis trying to heal himself runs the risk of hurting Roman further.

Both actors give exceptional performances. O’Brien, in particular, does great work, conveying Roman’s lack of intellect in a non-condescending manner and always allowing the viewer to register the pain-fueled anger perpetually under the surface. Coming on the heels of strong turns in Saturday Night, The Outfit, and Love and Monsters, O’Brien is proving to be among the most exciting young actors around. He’s the real deal.

Twinless never gets as psychologically in-depth as another current movie, the astonishing Lurker, which deals with some of the same thematic matter. This is still a smart, provocative work about loss, as well as about the vital need for human connection in those times when a loved one’s death threatens to drag us down into the abyss.

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