Twinless
Is a twin the answer to the male loneliness epidemic? If James Sweeney’s Twinless is anything to go by, then perhaps…or maybe The Sims. The black comedy (thriller?) is only the writer/director/actor’s second feature yet it bears all the hallmarks of a confident filmmaker who has found his stride, making all other millennials (this one included) feel both proud and comparably unaccomplished. With Twinless, Sweeney explores identity, masculinity, relationships and loneliness all within the template of a supposed grief dramedy. But it’s a far more interesting and twisty film than those buzzwords suggest and it’s going to be difficult to talk about it without spoiling what makes it so great. Here goes.
Roman (Dylan O’Brien) is a young man whose purpose in life has always been shared. He is constantly mistaken for his more popular and charismatic twin brother Rocky (whom O’Brien also plays), which would be annoying enough if not for the fact that Rocky has just died and his circle of friends and acquaintances keep hugging/crying on Roman. Their mother (Lauren Graham) juggles her grief for Rocky with worry for Roman, who lives in her basement like a true cliche of the internet age and can’t seem to do anything by himself. In the interest of self-help or maybe just to get out of the house, he finds a twin bereavement support group and commits to attending weekly.
There, he meets Dennis (James Sweeney), a man similar in age and twinlessness. He’s introverted, intelligent and a bit snarky while Roman is (self-described) “not the brightest tool in the shed.” Rocky was gay and Dennis is gay and in Roman’s simple, straight mind, the new twin casting makes sense. And it seems to make sense to Dennis, too; he slots into Roman’s life with ease, filling the role that Rocky played before the twins had a falling out and death kept them parted forever. Dennis teaches Roman that limes aren’t actually unripe lemons but an entirely different fruit and Roman teaches Dennis how to stuff marshmallows in his mouth – it’s an entirely wholesome bromance and one that seems to heal both parties in a time of great need.
All this setup happens in a brilliantly long pre-title sequence before introducing Marcie (Aisling Franciosi), Dennis’s extroverted and optimistic co-worker and Roman’s new love interest. Marcie is exactly what Roman needs; a happy-go-lucky young woman who not only complements Roman’s personality and values but asserts her own independence within the relationship in a stable, healthy way. But to Dennis, she is a cockblock to mateship who reminds him of his own fragile standing in the world and in this new friendship. As the duo becomes a trio, we discover new parts of the map.
Twinless is an absorbing and unpredictable delight of a film that feels both timely and strangely reminiscent of thrillers from another era (I can’t specify which, it’ll spoil a key plot point). Sweeney blends humour, sadness, mystery and poignancy with the assuredness of a much more experienced filmmaker and for me, the result is tonally very exciting. The story is told in a non-linear fashion, ramping up the tension in ways that are hyperbolic while always remaining believable.
And it’s not just the script that feels polished. The cinematography didn’t need to be as creative as it is in parts and yet Sweeney makes it so, not for novelty but to inform the story without the need for excessive expository dialogue. The framing of the scene where Dennis records a voicemail message is a standout, as is the construction of Roman and Marcie’s meet cute as Dennis looks on from the staircase, his plumbob green on the outside but on the inside, amber with concern.
And speaking of this millennial’s favourite childhood game, I really appreciated the frequency with which The Sims appears in this film not solely as a visual reference but as a thematic tool. Roman plays it out of nostalgia and to self-soothe (it’s the game he and Rocky played as kids) but it’s also the only environment where he maintains any sense of control. With the death of the default twin (and as he suspects, his mother’s favourite) Roman has had his Free Will suddenly switched on and doesn’t seem to know what to do with it. As the world says “move on, grow up”, he responds “Choo wagga choo choo.”
The film premiered at Sundance earlier this year and won the Audience Award for dramatic features, with O’Brien picking up the Special Jury Prize for his dual performances as Roman and Rocky. As someone who had very little prior familiarity with the actor, I can say without bias that it is very well-deserved.
Having never watched Teen Wolf nor identified as a Swiftie, my knowledge of Dylan O’Brien was confined to having belatedly watched The Maze Runner and been pleasantly surprised. In Twinless he is excellent, flitting between the downtrodden Roman of present-day and the lively Rocky of flashbacks with perfect contrast. There’s something very Tony Soprano-like in his depiction of Roman – the anger, the sadness, the malapropisms – that works so nicely and adds a layer of tragedy to the character. And despite there being no overlap between these twins separated by argument and death, we feel Roman’s hurt and yearning for his twin just as we feel Rocky’s and it’s all down to O’Brien’s thoughtful performances.
At a considerate 100 minutes, Twinless manages to be both a portrait of male loneliness and a superbly crafted black comedy that speaks to my generation and its overall struggles with adulthood and independence. I’m shook that it was made by someone my age but I guess that accurately reflects its themes. Anyway, I’m off to trap my Sim in a swimming pool. Sul sul!
Verdict
☆☆☆☆½
Twinless is in cinemas Thursday October 23rd. Take your codependent.
