Twinless (Tribeca 2025) Film Review & Summary

James Sweeney with Twinless presents himself as one of the best writer-directors who also star in their own films in this generation.

ByAmari Allah Hours Posted on Hours Updated on

Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.

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“Twinless” Film Details

  • Runtime: 1 Hour(s) and 40 Minutes
  • Seen Via: Film Festival – Tribeca Film Festival | Press Screening or Screener

Summary

Having struggled most of his life to feel connected, Dennis has long romanticized having a twin, especially after growing up with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. So when he meets Rocky, who has a twin named Roman, this seems all too perfect. However, despite an intimate night with Rocky, things go left, and before Dennis knows it, he finds himself meeting Roman and trying to recreate what he thought would be with Rocky. All while operating under the ruse that he is a twin looking for the kind of dependency in a friendship only twins would have.

Cast and Characters

Dennis (James Sweeney)

  • Character Summary: Dennis grew up relatively alone, and even as an adult, especially as a gay individual, he has faced struggles with making friends or finding community. However, with a sharp wit, humor, and a listening ear, through the relationships built throughout Twinless, you see that he’s capable of getting what he wants; it’s just a matter of being honest and having the chance to communicate.

Rocky (Dylan O’Brien)

  • Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
  • Character Summary: Outgoing and unquestionably gay, Rocky can be seen as a bit of an opposite to Roman. He is for deep conversation, vulnerability, and while he leaves Dennis a bit d-matized and without an idea of what they can be, in life, he seemed like a good guy.

Roman (Dylan O’Brien)

  • Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
  • Character Summary: While Rocky and Roman loved each other deeply, Roman was a bit more co-dependent than Rocky. If Rocky did it, Roman would follow, and in many ways, Roman was satisfied with the idea of following Rocky through life. However, there came a point where Rocky left on his own, and Roman has been a bit of a shell ever since, for being a twin was so ingrained into his identity.

Marcie (Aisling Franciosi)

  • Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
  • Character Summary: Marcie is the receptionist at Dennis’ workplace, with an educational background in psychology. Although Dennis may initially paint her as odd or a bit dim, he comes to know her through Roman and finds her to be anything but.

Other Noteworthy Information

  • Yes, the infamous (due to being leaked from Sundance) sex scene is in the film, and O’Brien also has one with Franciosi. Don’t get too excited though since, while you may get some butt cheek from both, neither one are filmed to be all that sexy.

What To Expect In “Twinless” (Not Rated) – Content Overview

  • Dialog:
    • Cursing: Occasional
    • Discriminatory Language: Yes
    • Innuendo: Some
  • Violence:
    • Gore/ Blood: Moderate (But Only In A Few Scenes)
    • Notable Violence: Fight Scenes
  • Sexual Content:
    • Nudity: Full (Backside – Male | Implied – Female)
    • Sexual Situations: Implied (Visible Thrusting)
  • Miscellaneous:
    • Drinking: Yes

Links

Review and Commentary

Highlight(s)

The Relationships We See Between Dennis and the Twins [85/100]

With this being the second film of James Sweeney’s I’ve seen, after Straight Up, I’m of the opinion he may very well possess the type of charm that pushes the idea he can do no wrong. For with both Rocky and Roman, even when there is a creep or sense that he is being a weirdo, you easily forgive Sweeney as Dennis. Mind you, this isn’t to say he plays weird throughout the entire film. When he and Rocky are having pillow talk, it is so sweet you’d wish this were a gay romance film featuring Rocky opening up about his brother, his struggles, and Dennis getting to do the same.

Alas, this film doesn’t do that; we instead see Dennis act a bit erratic, but even with how he moves into Roman’s life, albeit under false pretenses, Sweeney just has this thing about him, which makes you want to set aside the how and just enjoy what is being presented. For with Roman so being wrapped up in being a twin that not having Rocky is giving him withdrawal, it is sweet, sad, and it makes Dennis going shopping with him, and doing basic things, sweet. He enters a platonic, co-dependent friendship, and Sweeney goes from delivering the type of romance you want to the type of friendship.

Thus leaving you in a state of being glad Sweeney is writing, directing, and starring in his own productions, for he clearly knows his strengths, how to play off his scene partner, and make you clamor for his next film.

Dylan O’Brien’s Performance As Rocky and Roman [84/100]

Dylan O’Brien has a really interesting career. He has been in star-making vehicles like The Maze Runner, The Outfit, and, of course, Teen Wolf, yet it seems he wants to firmly commit to a big film every now and again, but to really cut his teeth with indie and films with moderate budgets. It has allowed a range that honestly feels similar to Elle Fanning’s, in a way. However, what we’ll give O’Brien, especially when it comes to Twinless, is that he does present range.

As presented above, whether as Rocky or Roman, O’Brien nails the role, and even if you removed the twin element, you would be perfectly fine with him playing the flamboyant Rocky or the soul of the Earth, Roman, who has some anger issues. In both performances, we are given layers, a richness, the sense that we’re getting a whole person, and while Sweeney deserves praise for this, O’Brien is the one who brings these twins to life and shows how similar yet different they can be.

And with spending more time with Roman, who can sometimes seem like a stereotypical, hyper masculine hot head, seeing that type cry in Dennis’ arms, become protective, and even giddy about the idea of setting up Dennis with another dude, perhaps to compensate for how he acted with Rocky, it makes it so you want to not only applaud the work of Sweeney and O’Brien, but also whoever cast O’Brien for he truly nailed this role.

On The Fence

How Marcie’s Role Evolves [79/100]

Admittedly, when Marcie comes into play and Dennis becomes a bit of a third wheel, Twinless suffers a bit. Mind you, it isn’t because Marcie is a bad character or isn’t played well by Aisling Franciosi. If anything, the issue stems from what made the film, and kept it going, now having this third person who lessens Dennis’ role in Roman’s life.

Now, to compensate for Marcie, you do see the already funny Dennis act rather shady towards Marcie. Also, Sweeney really flexes his muscles by building up Marcie in such a way that presents the idea that she and any character introduced can be elevated into a compelling, potentially lead role. However, as much as you may love how she doesn’t enable Roman, as much as she pushes him to grow and be better, that relationship isn’t what you latched onto for most of Twinless. It just presents the sign that the inevitable climax that you likely have been dreading is coming, and the fun times are over.

Overall

Our Rating (82/100): Positive (Worth Seeing)

Twinless thrives on the performances of Dylan O’Brien and writer-director James Sweeney, delivering a heartfelt, offbeat dramedy that explores grief, co-dependency, and platonic intimacy. But while Sweeney puts notable effort into nearly every character with a speaking role, the rise of Marcie feels like a record scratch. It disrupts the film’s momentum, and though it was clear that Dennis’ relationship with Roman was built on shaky ground, it wasn’t expected that we’d so quickly lose what made the film so enjoyable.

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Amari is the founder and head writer of Wherever-I-Look.com and has been reviewing media since 2010. He approaches each production with hope, rooting for every story to succeed, and believes criticism should come from unmet potential, while praise is reserved for work that meets or exceeds expectations.