SCREEN | Dylan O'Brien and James Sweeney Grieve 'Twinless'

"I'd rather be middle-class and unhappy than poor and slightly less unhappy."

Lionsgate / Roadside Attractions

Twinless stars Dylan O'Brien and writer/director James Sweeney as a pair of grieving men who meet in a support group for twins who have lost their siblings before awkwardly bonding over their shared grief. It's a novel, original premise that allows for a unique brand of dark humour and alternative psychological dramedy.

Beloved comedic presence Lauren Graham and Irish actress Aisling Franciosi ground the more dramatic elements of the film as O'Brien's mourning mother and sweet new love interest (also Sweeney's nosey co-worker). There are clever little turns to the small but tender indie drama that are better left unspoiled, but the way the film reveals more about the characters' histories makes for an interesting viewing experience. Both leads offer intriguing proxies for each other's departed twin siblings, with O'Brien being more open about his brotherly estrangement and Sweeney hiding his past.

Sweeney and O'Brien together make for an oddly sweet but fractured queer story of unwavering guilt. Twinless offers a fresh voice and perspective on the contemporary epidemic of loneliness that captures a sense of lost souls and deep longing. It's a moving and entertaining exploration of brotherhood and attraction that spirals into a disturbing act of understandable but strange deception. Sweeney constructs a devastating yet humorous portrait of the indignities of grief wrapped in male friendship.


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