'Twinless' Review: Love, Lies, and Loss Collide in this Unflinchingly Honest Film
- Alex Gilston
- Oct 8
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 28
By Alex Gilston - October 8, 2025
Grief is an unexplainable, shattering feeling for anyone. That impact must only be doubled when you’re a twin. To share life with someone from the very first minutes must make that loss even more unthinkable. Writer, director, and star James Sweeney is interested in that specific type of grief in Twinless. It’s a dark and comic look at loss and friendship from various and unexpected angles. You’ll laugh, definitely cry, and honestly wonder if what you’re seeing is actually happening.
What is 'Twinless' about?
In Twinless, Roman (Dylan O’Brien) abruptly loses his twin brother Rocky in a freak accident, and in an attempt to process his grief, he joins a therapy group for bereaved twins. In this group, he acquaints himself with Dennis (James Sweeney), who has also lost his twin brother. The pair quickly bonds over the shared grief, a really nice sandwich, and the unique circumstance they both find themselves in.
Their burgeoning relationship in the opening is convincingly embedded, so much so that the proceeding moments become a bitter pill to swallow. An abrupt cut and title card drop drag us weeks before Rocky's untimely death. Dennis is eating alone in a diner, and Dylan O’Brien, less unkempt, a bit more joie de vivre, and an upper lip filled in by a moustache, walks into frame. It’s immediately apparent that this isn’t Roman but his twin brother, Rocky, meeting Dennis. The two have a cinematic meet-cute dreams are made of, and then part ways.
The truth begins to bubble to the surface as Dennis becomes obsessed with Rocky. His texts are left unread, but he’s determined to make a soulmate of Rocky. When Dennis sees Rocky with another man, he decides to confront him. Rocky comes halfway onto the street to acknowledge Dennis, and is ploughed down by a truck. In an evil twist that usually only comes in the final act of a film, we find out Dennis doesn’t just know Rocky, but was also partially responsible for his death.
Twinless hurtles back through to the present day, the context of Roman and Dennis’ relationship forever changed. It’s a testament to James Sweeney’s writing that even knowing the truth behind Dennis’s infatuation with Roman gives their continued friendship warring emotions. The overall repulsion of the twisted tale Dennis is spinning to keep Roman onside doesn’t take away the fact that they’re simply two lonely people who find something in each other that makes them less so.
Their trust in each other comes to a head in one of Twinless’ most affecting scenes. After going to an ice hockey game, Roman and Dennis find themselves in their hotel room, and the conversation goes deep as Dennis offers to be Rocky so that Roman can air everything that was left unsaid between him and his brother. What follows is an acting master class by O’Brien. Sweeney has complete trust in his muse here as the shot lingers without cuts as Roman pours his soul out until words turn into sobs. It’s a completely genuine moment, that is only slightly protruded by the niggling feeling of deceit in the air. It’s ultimately what is so clever about Twinless; all of these moments and conversations are being presented to us through a lie, and even though that feeling persists, the grief, the connections, and the emotions on show all feel authentic.
Of course, the lies can only last so long, and it all comes to a head as Dennis drunkenly reveals the truth. As Roman’s entire world comes crashing down, he cuts Dennis off. They both try to move on without each other, but they are drawn together once more over another really nice sandwich. Before their blow-up, they were never fully on the same page, signposted by various faceless characters asking them a joint question where they would give different answers. It only happens a couple of times; however, it’s a representation of Dennis’ deception and Roman not truly knowing who he is. Twinless has a beautiful final moment where they are asked one final question, and they both answer in sync. We might never know what happens to them or their relationship, but knowing that they can both move forward in truth is a beautiful ending.
The depth of Twinless doesn’t just exist within the writing and performances. Greg Cotten captures everything with an expert eye. The scenery often comes in the way of characters, especially Dennis, who we see through bannisters on multiple occasions, particularly when he is being overtly deceptive. Jung Jae-il underpins everything with a classy score that complements as opposed to getting in the way.
Is 'Twinless' Worth Watching?
James Sweeney took on a mammoth task by directing, writing, and starring in his film. It pays off as Twinless is a tour de force. It can be uncomfortable to the point of cringe, but it can also be emotional to the point of tears. It explores grief and friendship in a way that not many films do. By having Dennis as a problematic character, we get everything warts and all, no filters. The film feels like a truer representation of real-life love, friendship, and grief.
Twinless was released on 5 September in the US, and will be available on 6 February 2026 in the UK.
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