Twinless Review: A Darkly Humorous Exploration of Trauma-Bonding
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It is impossible to talk about Twinless, the second feature film of writer-director James Sweeney, without picking some of its most shocking narrative curveballs. Premiering at Sundance Film Festival, this dramedy revolves around the story of two strangers who connect with each other in a bereavement group after the death of their respective twins. Can it go well? It should probably! It is all meet-cute and we think the two might hit it off, until the viewer is thrown off the cliff with a delightful twist.
The premise
In Twinless, the twists keep coming, the shocks never stop. This is a film that enthralls and continuously challenges the viewer to keep up pace. It begins with the arrival of bad news. We meet Roman (Dylan O’Brien), who is grieving the death of his twin Rocky who died of an accident. The pain is too intense, too numbing, and somehow finds him among a bunch of similar individuals in a support group. All of these people have lost their twins. Here, he will meet Dennis (James Sweeney), who does not waste a second to state that he is gay. But he's also cute and funny and nerdy. The two bond fast, with Dennis becoming Roman's emotional support of sorts.
It is then, when the real faces begin to peel away. Twinless reveals itself with such confidence that as a viewer you're immediately shook. There's more to this cute friendship that exists between these two guys, which might not end well in the immediate future. Sweeney reserves the most uncompromising character for himself, and throws the ball into the dark. After a bitter reveal, the audience's trust is shaken, and then held back. A supporting character, in the form of Marcie (Aisling Franciosi), a receptionist where Dennis works, manages to complicate things further.
What works
The actors are game for Sweeney, which is why the film works so well. Dylan O'Brien is very effective as the man coming to terms with the loss of a loved one. However, it is Sweeney's performance that captivates in every step of the way. He underscores Dennis with a morbid sense of humour, and provides him just enough heart to lead this story forward.
As defiant and bold as Sweeney's script is, Twinless feels way too shrewd for its own good. The film's handling of grief and loss feels vacant after a point, because this is not just about the grief of losing a loved one, but also a very specific sort of grief that a queer person feels. The loneliness, frustration and alienation of Dennis is often weaponized in this film, which does not reveal anything more to the character that we do not already know.
The complications arise because Twinless refuses to detail the life of Dennis beyond his association with Roman. Sweeney is too busy staying one step ahead of the viewer to not smoothen out some of the rough edges of the script. Yet, there are several moments in the second half when the viewer has to go along with new information in his life so far. At those points, Dennis still feels unknown, almost too alien to form any connection at all. It is not about his capacity for doing distasteful things, it is about the place from which that void arrives. Couldn't Sweeney hold on to that thought for a while? Twinless might have a lot of tricks up its sleeve, but it still needs a support group to learn how to handle gay loneliness better.
Nevertheless, Twinless is unafraid to take risks, and is undoubtedly one of the best discoveries of the year. It is dark, intelligent, manipulative, and breathtakingly intense. This is a film that refuses to let go.
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