James Sweeney’s Hilarious and Moving Twinless is One of A Kind

Film Reviews

Sundance Film Review: Twinless
Director: James Sweeney
Permut Presentations
Premiere: 01.23

I’ve been following stories about Twinless for very personal reasons, long before it was announced as a selection at Sundance Film Festival 2025. I am an identical twin who is extraordinarily close to my brother, Paul Gibbs — someone who is not just my hero, but a hero to many in Utah thanks to his devoted political activism (he was personally honored by two U.S. presidents and likely falls into the category of “enemy of the state” to the current one). More than that, he’s the other half of me, and my greatest fear in life threatened to come true 15 and a half years ago when he went into kidney failure and my own medical history ruled me out as a donor. Twinless deals with the unthinkable loss of having your other half ripped away from you, and it does so dramatically, touchingly and, against all odds, hilariously.

Roman (Dylan O’Brien, Love & Monsters, Saturday Night) is a tough, bro-ish man who describes himself as “not the brightest tool in the shed,” is struggling to cope after the death of his twin brother, Rocky. Joining a bereavement support group, he meets Dennis (James Sweeney), a quick-witted, dryly funny man who, like Rocky, is gay. Unable to sleep one night, Roman calls Dennis and asks him to go grocery shopping with him, and despite their vastly different personalities, orientations and interests, the two men hit it off, forming a unique bond based on shared loss, loneliness, guilt and regret. Roman leans on Dennis for companionship and distraction, and the lonely Dennis finds a rare and much needed friend in Roman. This blossoming bromance is the catharsis that both men need to feel like they aren’t alone in the world, and it’s a match made in heaven… or possibly hell. This seemingly meant-to-be friendship may be not as fated as it seems, and while the truth may set you free, it might also lead to disaster.

Writer-director-actor Sweeney (Straight Up) has created a ferociously clever film full of big surprises that make it difficult to talk about the plot in too much depth, and it’s not the movie I was expecting it to be. In this case, that’s entirely a good thing, as Sweeney’s real, carefully hidden premise makes for a far better story that manages to be the most insightful film I’ve ever seen about the indescribable bond of twinship. The story has room for intrigue and a lot of brilliantly irreverent humor, and I was laughing out loud when I wasn’t crying. Twinless explores the nature of loneliness and connection in audacious ways, and Sweeney establishes himself as such monumental creative talent on screen and off that it’s easy to see him becoming the next Woody Allen, albeit a far less problematic or narcissistic and infinitely more sensitive one — if not less neurotic. The story unfolds in a somewhat nonlinear fashion that allows us to see only glimpses of the characters, letting us think we know who they are until new layers are gradually peeled away and we see the full picture. In the tradition of popular fiction ranging from The Comedy of Errors to The Parent Trap, Sweeney’s film is an unpredictable farce, yet he deftly tips his hat to formula while dumping it down the sink.

A delightful cast, led by the magnetic Sweeney and O’Brien, who dazzled in Ponyboi at Sundance 2024 and is proving himself to be a truly great and disarmingly versatile actor, lights up the screen. Aisling Franciosi (Nightingale, Speak No Evil), who is normally cast intense roles, plays wonderfully against type as Roman’s chipper and brighter-than-she-appears-to-be new girlfriend. Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls, Parenthood) is tender and touching as Roman and Rocky’s mother, who observes: “They say there’s nothing worse than losing a child. But maybe there is.” While the entire cast is top notch, it’s the dynamic between O’Brien and Sweeney that does more than anchor the film; it makes it a modern classic.

Does my personal connection to the subject material color my opinion of Twinless? Of course it does. When the movie ended, I didn’t know whether to call my twin or run up to the stage and share my thoughts with Sweeney (whom I’d interviewed before the film), opting to text Paul that I’d see him soon while rushing the stage, thanking Sweeney and sharing a hug. That being said, a packed audience that didn’t have my personal connection also laughed, cried and cheered, and the love, wit and reliability of Twinless extends to any with empathy and and sense of humor. —Patrick Gibbs

Read more of SLUG’s coverage of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.