In the surprisingly endearing Twinless, James Sweeney writes, directs, and stars as an awkward gay man who befriends the identical twin brother of a guy he hooked up with–shortly before said guy gets splattered by a truck in a tragic accident. Dylan O’Brien plays Roman, the now “twinless” twin who is mourning the loss of his brother, enjoying his new friendship with Dennis, and exploring a romantic relationship with Dennis’ coworker Marcie (Aisling Franciosi).
Twinless plays like a romantic comedy with some heavy doses of drama and not much romance, given that while Dennis is attracted to Roman, his counterpart is straight. O’Brien and Sweeney have great chemistry with one another. Sweeney’s script deftly blends serious subject matter with humor extremely well, never leaning too hard in either direction.
Twinless easily deserves a spot in any list of overlooked gems of 2025.
Review by Erik Samdahl. Erik is a marketing and technology executive by day, avid movie lover by night. He is a member of the Seattle Film Critics Society.
