Dylan O’Brien In “Twinless” Makes Male Friendship Tender And Messy
After a freak accident, Roman joins a support group for people who’ve lost a twin. There he meets Dennis, a sharp, lonely office worker who gets him in a way no one else does. Roman is reserved, athletic, and hurting.
#Twinless is an excellent dramedy of death, connection, and mental health. James Sweeney shows to be a confident director with his use of motifs while Dylan O’Brien shines as a man struggling to cope with his brother’s death. Far more emotional than I anticipated, this was great! pic.twitter.com/U6h8HqNy4q
— StuckerMovieReviews (@MovieStucker) September 9, 2025
Dennis is witty, queer, and searching. Their bond is the emotional core of James Sweeney’s dark comedy Twinless, even as online chatter fixates on the sex scene between Dennis and Roman’s late brother, Rocky. O’Brien plays both twins with clean, lived-in detail, and Lauren Graham appears as Roman’s mother, Lisa.
Tyler Posey and Dylan O’Brien reunite at the LA premiere of ‘TWINLESS’
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) September 3, 2025
pic.twitter.com/9jVGBb2g3e
O’Brien says the heart of the film is watching Roman change through an unlikely friendship he never imagined having. “One of the most beautiful parts of the story, to me, was to see this guy… have that relationship sort of be the impetus to undergo this evolution that he’s never encountered before in his life,” he tells Out.
There is a catch. Dennis fakes having a twin so he can get close to Roman, and he hides that he knew Rocky. It’s a choice born from isolation, not malice, which the film handles without easy judgement.
“Loneliness is something that everybody experiences,” Sweeney says, adding that it shapes how people hold on to relationships when they finally feel seen. When a colleague named Marcie starts putting the pieces together, the tension spikes, and Dennis risks losing the only person who makes him feel less alone.
Twinless treats platonic closeness between men as real intimacy, not a punchline. The script sits with messy feelings: guilt, desire, and forgiveness. Sweeney even discusses the perspective shift that alters how we read the story, using it to foster empathy before the reveal. The film’s ending leaves space for viewers to decide what healing looks like, which is part of why the conversation keeps rolling after the credits. We won’t spoil it here, but the final meeting hints at growth rather than neat closure.
Twinless premiered at Sundance in January 2025, where it won the Audience Award and a Special Jury Award recognising O’Brien’s performance. It opened in cinemas on 5 September 2025. If you’ve ever wanted a film that lets complicated people be complicated, this is one to catch on a big screen. Are you seeing it this week.
Graham frames it simply: the movie is “so kind,” a story about “the power of love,” and it invites viewers to feel generosity toward imperfect people. That spirit matches what the film is chasing, even when the characters stumble.
