Twinless
Sundance hit ain't winless ... it's "Twinless."
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I didn’t know much about actor/writer/producer/director James Sweeney’s dramedy “Twinless” (available in select theaters beginning Friday, Sept. 5) going into it other than it played Sundance earlier this year (where it won the Audience Award Dramatic) and co-stars Dylan O’Brien – an actor of whom I’m a fan.
O’Brien plays the dual roles of twins Roman and Rocky. Roman ain’t the sharpest tool in the shed and lives at home with his mother Lisa (Lauren Graham) in the small town of Moscow, N.D. Rocky’s much more worldly having lived and worked in Japan and currently living and working in Portland, Ore. … he’s also gay. Roman and Rocky don’t have the relationship they once had, but there’s a fondness and love between the two twins.
Roman and Lisa are called to Portland after Rocky suddenly dies in a freak car accident. Roman decides he’ll stay in Rocky’s apartment while he attends to his brother’s affairs and begins going to a support group for folks who have lost a twin. It’s here that he meets Dennis (Sweeney), an awkward, gay introvert whose twin Dean died the previous year. Despite having little to nothing in common, Roman and Dennis quickly become inseparable friends. They go grocery shopping together, take road trips to Seattle Kraken hockey games and Dennis even accompanies Roman home for Christmas. Roman also begins dating Dennis’ colleague Marcie (Irish actress Aisling Franciosi, so memorable in last year’s “Speak No Evil” remake).
“Twinless” won’t be for all tastes or audiences (there are fairly graphic depictions of gay sex and much of the humor is of the awkward and/or dark variety), but I found the film to have plenty of commendable attributes that make it well worth a recommendation. I’ve liked O’Brien elsewhere, but this is easily his best work to date. He excels in playing dual roles that are easily discernible from one another and bravely exposes his body and soul time and again. Sweeney’s Dennis isn’t especially likable, but he’s an interesting character who’s exceedingly well-played. Franciosi’s performance lends the project considerable warmth and her Marcie is arguably the picture’s heart.
“Twinless” very much feels like the Sundance movie that it is. It’s funny and sad and has worthwhile things to say about the human condition. Adventurous, open-minded audiences will be rewarded by riding along with its idiosyncratic rhythms.