Twinless is a new film that initially premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival before it premieres wide this upcoming weekend on September 5. Written and directed by James Sweeney, the film stars Dylan O’Brien, Sweeney, Aisling Franciosi, Lauren Graham, Tasha Smith, Chris Perfetti, François Arnaud, Susan Park, and Cree Cicchino. Two young men meet in a twin support group and form an unlikely friendship. Roman (O’Brien) and Dennis (Sweeney) both search for solace and an identity without their other halves and soon become inseparable outside the group. But when Roman meets Dennis’ ebullient co-worker, Marcie (Franciosi), all is revealed to be not what it seems, as each man harbors secrets that could unravel everything.

Hard to believe the film was only released back in January in the U.S. Dramatic Competition of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. It feels like it was only yesterday. It quickly went viral for some crazy reasons, leading the Sundance Film Festival taking it away from its online portion of the festival. Fast forward to today, I got the fortunate luck to see this nearly a month early, but only posting my review now due to some embargo restrictions. I truthfully can’t wait for more people to see this. This has classic written all over it.

Within the film’s first twenty minutes, it gives you exactly what you’d expect out of its given synopsis. It wastes no times whatsoever throwing you into the story. It’s after those twenty minutes that it actually reveals what it’s really about, and it never derails the film, even if I do believe the reveal could have been saved for the third act. The film still manages a consistent tone throughout, but when that reveal drops, it becomes more of a psychological drama that makes these characters incredibly complex and interesting.

When you have a well-known name like Dylan O’Brien, it will immediately draw fans and viewers familiar with him to seek out the film. O’Brien truly does something different that showcases his talents as an actor and helps show why he should be taken more seriously as an actor. However, this wouldn’t be possible without James Sweeney’s efforts as a co-star, writer, and director. Sweeney not only shows how detailed of a writer he is – he shows real promise an up-and-coming director who can help pull the right performances out of people, himself included.

The way the film flows is similar to trailer, and I mean that as a compliment. Sweeney intentionally places characters and items in specific images that are placed in another scene, allowing this film to flow properly. This wouldn’t be possible without Greg Cotten’s involvement as cinematographer. At 100 minutes, Sweeney adds so much story to the film without the film ever feeling like it’s dragging. Films that are shot like this are rarely made anymore. If Sweeney can continue making films that look like this, I think this particular approach will solidify him as a director with their own distinct voice.

While the cinematography will get plenty of acclaim, I also think this wouldn’t be possible without the editing. There’s a particular scene involvement a split screen that is unlike anything I have ever seen before, even with the way it concludes. The closest I have seen is with Highest 2 Lowest, but it’s handled so much better here. There’s so much more that I want to speak about with this scene. Again, it’s best going in knowing little to nothing.

This is a film that has certainly stayed with me for a long time, and I even think it has the power to get better over time. At this given moment, however, I do think the complexities of these characters will certainly challenge viewers. The way these characters are presented are as real as they are uncomfortable. There is a particular sequence in the third act that did challenge me with its complexity and maybe could have been handled a bit differently.

Speaking of the third act, I think it’s possible the reveal could have been placed here. It would have made for an incredible twist that we often don’t get anymore in the third act. At the same time, I think all that momentum that we got when it’s revealed earlier in the film could have been completely diminished. Knowing what the real twist is now, it will certainly have me see the film in a different perspective that might appreciate it more.

Overall, Twinless is one of the best movies of the year and has real promise of getting better over time. It’s a film where nearly everything works due to the performances, writing, direction, cinematography, and editing. However, some of the characters and the reveal could have been handled differently. Still, this is one one film that you cannot miss.

VERDICT: 4/5 (Great)