Jump to content

Twinless

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For a person whose twin has died, see twinless twin.

Twinless
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJames Sweeney
Written byJames Sweeney
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyGreg Cotten
Edited byNikola Boyanov
Music byJung Jae-il
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • January 23, 2025 (2025-01-23) (Sundance)
  • September 5, 2025 (2025-09-05) (United States)
Running time
100 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1.3 million[2][3]

Twinless is a 2025 American psychological black comedy film written and directed by James Sweeney. The film stars Dylan O'Brien, Sweeney, Aisling Franciosi, Chris Perfetti, François Arnaud, Tasha Smith, and Lauren Graham.

Twinless had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2025, in the U.S. Dramatic Competition, where it won the Audience Award. It was released in the United States by Lionsgate Films and Roadside Attractions on September 5, 2025.

Plot

[edit]
The film is presented in a nonlinear narrative. The following is a linear plot summary

Dennis, a young gay man living in Portland, Oregon, meets a man named Rocky at a diner. The two hit it off and sleep together. Over the next few days, Rocky ignores Dennis and his attempts to communicate, leading Dennis to visit Rocky's apartment in an attempt to speak with him. Unobserved, he sees Rocky with another man and follows them in his car. He eventually approaches them on the road and confronts Rocky for rejecting him. Rocky is hit by a car and killed.

Rocky's twin brother, Roman, grieves the death of his brother. He joins a support group for twinless twins. He quickly befriends fellow attendee Dennis, who had stalked and followed Roman from Rocky's funeral to the support group. Dennis lies about having had a twin to get close to Roman. Under false pretences, the two become close friends. Dennis introduces Roman to his colleague, Marcie; the two grow close, leading Dennis to become jealous. After spending more time together, Marcie begins to notice inconsistencies in Dennis's claims about his family life. She uncovers the truth that he had no twin and insists that Dennis disclose his lies to Roman.

While sharing a hotel room after watching a hockey game together, a drunk Dennis begins sucking Roman's toes while massaging his foot. When Roman declines his advances, Dennis admits his deception. An angry Roman punches Dennis repeatedly and leaves. Roman and Dennis become socially isolated after falling out while Roman and Marcie stay together.

Sometime later, Dennis and Roman meet at a diner and discuss Rocky and their friendship. In unison, they ask a waitress for a to-go box, an idiosyncrasy once shared by Roman and Rocky.

Cast

[edit]
The film stars Dylan O'Brien in a dual role.

Production

[edit]

In February 2024, it was announced Dylan O'Brien had joined the cast of the film, with James Sweeney set to direct and co-star from a screenplay he wrote, David Permut set to produce and Republic Pictures set to distribute.[4] In May 2024, Aisling Franciosi and Lauren Graham joined the cast of the film.[5] In August 2024, Tasha Smith, Chris Perfetti, François Arnaud, Susan Park and Cree Cicchino joined the cast of the film.[6]

Principal photography took place in Portland, Oregon.[7]

Release

[edit]
Alex Astrachan (left), Sweeney (center), and David Permut (right) at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, with the Audience Award Dramatic

Twinless premiered in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2025.[8] In April 2025, Republic Pictures sold the film to other studios for its theatrical release, with Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions acquiring the U.S. distribution rights and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions acquiring the international rights.[9] It was released on September 5, 2025.[10]

When the film was made available to festival viewers who opted to view the film remotely online during Sundance, clips and GIFs from the film showing O'Brien's character having sex were leaked online and shared across social media platforms. The clips were later taken down after copyright infringement claims were filed, and the film itself was later removed from the Sundance online platform.[11][12]

Reception

[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 97% of 110 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "James Sweeney's sophomore outing reveals a twisty, grief-ridden journey of the unexpected – buoyed by a perfectly sensitive Dylan O'Brien."[13] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 80 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[14] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of A on an A+ to F scale.[15]

Benjamin Lee of The Guardian termed it a "dark, inventive comedy", adding that the "smart and highly unusual film earns its boundary-pushing because he never loses sight of the inescapable, human sadness at its core".[16] The Hollywood Reporter's Lovia Gyarkye commended O'Brien's dual performances and was appreciative of Sweeney's craft in "shifting between dry humor, gutting devastation and emotional poignancy".[17]

Commenting on Sweeney's direction, Peter Debruge of Variety wrote, "On just his second film, the gifted young helmer demonstrates a sophisticated sense of framing, pace and exquisitely uncomfortable dramatic tension".[18]

Accolades

[edit]
Award Date of ceremony Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
Palm Springs International Film Festival January 3, 2025 Directors to Watch James Sweeney Won [19]
Sundance Film Festival January 31, 2025 Grand Jury Prize – U.S. Dramatic Twinless Nominated [20]
Audience Award – U.S. Dramatic Twinless Won
U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting Dylan O'Brien Won
Seattle International Film Festival May 25, 2025 Best Film Twinless Runner-up [21]
Best Director James Sweeney Won
Savannah Film Festival November 1, 2025 Lumiere Award Dylan O'Brien Won [22]
Miami Film Festival November 1, 2025 Vanguard Award Dylan O'Brien Won [23]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Twinless [MA 15+]". Australian Classification Board. September 25, 2025. Retrieved September 27, 2025.
  2. ^ "Twinless". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved October 10, 2025.
  3. ^ "Twinless". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved October 10, 2025.Edit this at Wikidata
  4. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 15, 2024). "Dylan O'Brien Sets 'Twinless' With James Sweeney Directing & Starring; Republic Pictures Takes Global On Three Point Capital & David Permut Production". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
  5. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 10, 2024). "Lauren Graham & Aisling Franciosi To Star Opposite Dylan O'Brien & James Sweeney In Three Point Capital & David Permut's 'Twinless'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
  6. ^ Grobar, Matt (August 26, 2024). "Republic Pictures' Dark Comedy 'Twinless' Adds 'Abbott Elementary's Chis Perfetti, François Arnaud & More To Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
  7. ^ "Gilmore Girls Star Lauren Graham Lands New Role". Collider. May 15, 2024. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
  8. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Patten, Dominic (December 11, 2024). "Sundance 2025: JLo, Sly Stone, Putin, Ayo Edebiri, André Holland, & Ex-NZ PM Jacinda Ardern Films Among Park City Festival Offerings". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
  9. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (April 8, 2025). "Dylan O'Brien Comedy 'Twinless' Nears Sale to Roadside, Lionsgate After Winning Sundance Audience Award (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  10. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (April 29, 2025). "Dylan O'Brien and James Sweeney's Sundance Comedy 'Twinless' Finalizes Sale, Sets Fall Release Date (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
  11. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 1, 2025). "Dylan O'Brien Pic 'Twinless' Becomes Second Movie to be Pulled from Sundance Streaming Site Due to Piracy". Deadline Hollywood.
  12. ^ Gardner, Chris (February 1, 2025). "Sundance Shocker: Second Film Pulled from Online Portal After Pirated Clips Surface Online". The Hollywood Reporter.
  13. ^ "Twinless". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved September 19, 2025. Edit this at Wikidata
  14. ^ "Twinless". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  15. ^ "Home". CinemaScore. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  16. ^ Lee, Benjamin (January 24, 2025). "Twinless movie review: A gripping tale at Sundance". The Guardian. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  17. ^ Gyarkye, Lovia (January 24, 2025). "'Twinless' Review: Dylan O'Brien in a Gripping Psychological Thriller". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  18. ^ Debruge, Peter (January 24, 2025). "'Twinless' Review: Two Guys Mourning the Loss of a Twin Connect in an Ingeniously Squirmy and Borderline Inappropriate 'Bromance'". Variety. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  19. ^ Gilchrist, Todd (November 19, 2024). "'The Substance,' 'The Piano Lesson,' 'Babygirl' Filmmakers Selected for Variety's 2025 Directors to Watch". Variety. Retrieved February 3, 2025.
  20. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 31, 2025). "'Atropia' Takes U.S. Grand Jury Prize Dramatic At Sundance Film Festival: Full Winners List". Deadline. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
  21. ^ Carey, Matthew (May 26, 2025). "Seattle International Film Festival: 'Seeds,' 'Tinā,' 'Suburban Fury,' 'The Crowd' Among Top Prize Winners". Deadline. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
  22. ^ "AwardsWatch - 2025 SCAD Savannah Film Festival Honorees Include Rose Byrne, Oscar Isaac, Dylan O'Brien and Tessa Thompson". AwardsWatch. October 1, 2025. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  23. ^ "Miami Film Festival GEMS to Honor Dylan O'Brien with Vanguard Award". Miami Film Festival. September 18, 2025. Retrieved October 6, 2025.

Further reading

[edit]
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Twinless&oldid=1322322779"