Twinless

Bluesky

Human nature can be a funny thing. People get themselves into the saddest, most absurd situations, and often have no one to blame but themselves. While the impacts of grief and self sabotage can be devastating, sometimes the only thing you can do is laugh.

In Twinless, writer/director/actor James Sweeney displays a remarkable understanding of how to express the humor and pathos of feeling alone in the world. The film premièred on the opening night of the Sundance Film Festival, where quirky takes on dark subjects aren’t exactly uncommon. But Sweeney has achieved a rare harmony in his tonal ambitions.

He mines comedy out of depressing and awkward setups without entering unwatchable levels of cringe (though he definitely flirts with it as tensions mounts). This is partly because he never treats characters as mere gag-dispensers. Even with minor characters, you can see where they’re coming from and why they’re doing what they’re doing.

The story begins with an off screen death and a funeral, but immediately earns some laughs as Roman, twin brother of the deceased, stands in the receiving line. Coming from a small town in Idaho, he meets all his brother Rocky’s bereaved friends in Portland, Oregon, and they all marvel at the identicality of it all while he awkwardly reacts to hugs from people he doesn’t know.

Dylan O'Brien plays the character with a sweet shyness that belies a simmering rage — at the world, at himself, and of course at his mom (Lauren Graham), who is happy to throw it back at him. As Roman stays in Portland to deal with the remains of Rocky’s life, Sweeney enters the scene as Denis, who is as adept at rambling on as Roman is at staying quiet. The two form a bond that often feels sweet, but has an exponential number of concerning red flags.

Losing your twin is such a uniquely difficult experience that there’s a support group for it. That’s where Roman meets Denis, who is gay, like Rocky. Roman asks Denis if his twin was also gay — no. The two quickly form a codependent bond, with Roman calling on Denis to accompany him grocery shopping and on other mundane activities.

Not to dissuade the reader from devouring the beautiful prose in the following paragraphs, but there’s something to be said for seeing this film cold. So apologies if this review feels overly vague.

It’s not that Twinless is dependent on any of its surprises, and it’d be hard to call anything a 'spoiler' because Sweeney wisely doesn’t draw out the plot twists. Nevertheless, there’s a rollercoaster of surprises that ensues after the first 10 or 15 minutes, viewed from Roman’s perspective. The film’s forgotten opening titles suddenly kick in, and with them, we follow Denis to see how we got where we are.

Dennis isn’t being completely honest with Roman, and some of his behaviour rings multiple fire alarms. And yet, Sweeney plays and presents the character in a way that keeps us in tune with his emotional state. This skill may be his greatest asset as a storyteller.

Perhaps the best example of Sweeney’s gift for character depth is Marcie, the perky receptionist at Denis’s office. Played with endless energy and compassion by Aisling Franciosi, she could have easily been a simple comic foil. But as the story progresses, she reveals a deep understanding of social skills, responding to awkward social situations with remarkable grace. This makes her stand out as a rare specimen of well-adjusted personality.

There’s a lot that Sweeney trusts his audience to pick up on, and a lot of rewards for doing so. But perhaps what makes Twinless so memorable is its ability to generate empathy for characters even as they set themselves up for disaster. No one gets a free pass, but no one is denied a sympathetic laugh.