‘Twinless’: Sundance Review

Dir: James Sweeney. US. 2025. 100 minutes.

Roman (Dylan O’Brien) is newly twinless. An offscreen screech of tyres hints at what occurred to his equivalent brother Rocky (additionally performed by O’Brien once we study extra about him in flashback). The pacy set-up from author/director James Sweeney then whisks us straight to Rocky’s graveside the place the surrealness of Roman wanting identical to his useless brother from the mourners’ views is performed for laughs. Views rely in Sweeney’s movie as their slippery nature permits him to shock us early on in a means which might be a disgrace to disclose however which transports what initially appears to be like like an odd couple bromance into significantly darker psychological terrain.

Juggles the sweeter moments and darkish humour with well-observed concerns of grief and loneliness

Sweeney, whose comedy debut Straight Up acquired a finest first screenplay nomination on the 2021 Impartial Spirit awards, juggles the sweeter moments and darkish humour with well-observed concerns of grief and loneliness. That ought to assist Twinless entice international audiences after its premiere in Sundance’s US Dramatic Competitors, with millennials notably prone to be received over by nicely labored jokes targeted on The Sims and the Olsen Twins.

Grief has left the introverted Roman with a brief fuse, and an argument together with his mom (Lauren Graham) prompts him to attend a bereavement group. There he meets Dennis (James Sweeney), who reveals he has additionally not too long ago misplaced his twin. They don’t appear a possible match, on condition that Roman is a pleasant however dim jock sort, whereas Dennis is homosexual, like Roman’s brother, and so sharp-witted it’s a marvel he doesn’t reduce himself. However they bond over sandwiches and grocery procuring, which is when Sweeney – as a scriptwriter and director – begins to indicate his hand as a grasp manipulator.

Having watched occasions from Roman’s perspective, we at the moment are given a have a look at them from Dennis’ standpoint, revealing that each one will not be fairly because it first appeared. From this level on, we all know issues that Roman doesn’t, which supplies the outwardly jaunty humour a disturbing context.

O’Brien brings a soulful purity to Roman, discovering a pleasant distinction between this portrayal and the embodiment of the mustachioed, self-confident and flirtatious Rocky, however he additionally permits Roman’s anger and grief to blossom unpredictably when it counts. Sweeney, in the meantime, has enjoyable with the extra advanced and quick-talking Dennis. His friendship with Roman is a vibrant spot in his in any other case miserable existence, whilst developments go away him more and more conflicted.

Irish actor Aisling Franciosi – who was considered one of Display’s Stars of Tomorrow in 2014 – additionally places in memorable assist as Dennis’ completely peppy co-worker, who begins to take a shine to Roman. We quickly come to study she has much more going for her than Dennis suggests, as two appears to be like like firm and three’s a crowd.

Sweeney is nice on the reduce and thrust of dialogue and he doesn’t simply play it straight as director both. He takes the thought of twinning to coronary heart, utilizing a cut up display on a number of events with a purpose to present two factors of view concurrently. This helps him to marry moments of sincerity to comedy or to lace a humorous stretch of dialogue with one thing extra poignant courtesy of a response shot. Lyrical string-underpinned scoring from Jung Jae-Il provides an extra grown-up contact.

It’s not simply the construction of the movie that’s intelligent, Sweeney varies his joke supply, so that there’s a mixture of one-liners and extra slow-burn humour alongside a raft of sight gags, together with some ridiculous enterprise involving twin mouthfuls of marshmallows. His potential to shock means you’re by no means fairly certain whether or not you’re going to be hit with a punchline or a sucker-punch emotional beat or, typically, the dual assault of each concurrently. He could also be artful with comedy however he additionally ensures we care about what makes his characters tick.