Twinless Film Review: Grieving for Two

With Twinless, James Sweeney emerges as a singular talent capable of bending genre and tone to serve a quirky tale of grief and friendship.

Twinless opens on Roman (Dylan O’Brien, of Ponyboi), who is mourning the loss of his identical twin brother, Rocky (also played by Dylan O’Brien). While the years have created distance between the once inseparable brothers, this is the first time in Roman’s life that he is no longer a part of a duo. Unsure of how to live life as a singleton, Roman attends a bereavement meeting for others who have become twinless after the loss of their identical sibling. 

Through this group, Roman meets Dennis (James Sweeney, of Straight Up), a quick-witted, charming and emotionally in-tune gay man who reminds Roman of his late brother. As the two discuss the oddities of going through life feeling like the biggest part of themselves is no longer here, they form a uniquely close bond. In Dennis, Roman feels like he is able to accept and understand a part of his brother he never got the chance to know and love. 

In Roman, well… in Roman, Dennis gets to have the close relationship he desperately wanted to have with Rocky. Unbeknownst to Roman, Dennis not only knew Rocky but fell in love with him after a brief romantic tryst. While Dennis was completely invested in the potential of this relationship, Rocky paid it no mind and immediately ghosted him. Crushed by both Rocky’s death and rejection, Dennis attaches himself to his twin brother, who has no knowledge of who his brother was to his new friend. 

While Dennis knows this is a slippery (and morally questionable) slope, he can’t help but continue pursuing a friendship with Roman. Even though Roman is a complete foil for Rocky, introverted where his brother was extroverted, dull-witted where his brother was effortlessly sharp and full of anger where his brother was joyously radiant, Dennis sees something in Roman that Rocky never had. Roman shares the same strand of loneliness that Dennis experiences and has the same desire to always be in someone else’s company. But for how long can Dennis keep his dark secrets from Roman? 

Twinless is unlike anything you have ever seen before. Sweeney’s ability to balance his particular brand of humor with a deep sense of sincerity creates an entertaining and introspective film about the desperate measures we dare to go to for meaningful connections. 

While the pretenses of their meeting are fabricated, Roman and Dennis are able to mourn the loss of Rocky and the impact he had on their lives through their friendship. Roman’s biggest regret is allowing the distance between him and his lifelong best friend to widen so greatly after Rocky came out to him. 

Through his friendship with Dennis, he is able to comprehend that Rocky’s coming out was the first time in their lives that there was an undeniable difference between the two brothers. While he counts being Rocky’s twin as his greatest blessing, throughout their lives, his entire identity was tied to his brother and once the two of them began to grow, Rocky had a much easier time embracing who he was and being confident in himself than Roman did. 

Dennis always felt like an outcast. With no siblings, best friends or even parents to bond with, he has spent his whole life searching for a connection he was beginning to doubt existed. While Rocky was the first person to see Dennis and empathize with his loneliness, Roman was the first person to stay with him through it. Although you, as an audience member, know what Dennis is doing is wrong, it’s hard not to see the authenticity of their connection and say their friendship doesn’t come from a genuine place. 

Twinless pushes the structure of traditional storytelling to deliver something narratively inventive and completely entertaining. Its playful relationship with morality and reflective conversations about friendship in relation to identity put this dramedy in a league of its own. With this film, James Sweeney has solidified himself as a rising talent to watch and a ferocious comedic force to be reckoned with.

Twinless was screened at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 7-14, 2025. The film will be released in U.S. theaters by Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate on September 5, 2025.