# Twinless

Twinless is a 2025 American black comedy film written and directed by James Sweeney. It stars Dylan O'Brien and Sweeney, alongside Aisling Franciosi, Lauren Graham, Tasha Smith, Chris Perfetti, François Arnaud, Susan Park and Cree Cicchino.
It had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2025 in the U.S. Dramatic Competition, where it received critical acclaim and won the Audience Award.

## Premise

Two young men strike up an unlikely, sexually intense friendship after meeting in a support group for twinless twins.

## Cast

* Dylan O'Brien as Roman / Rocky
* James Sweeney as Dennis
* Aisling Franciosi as Marcie
* Lauren Graham as Lisa, Rocky and Roman's mother
* Tasha Smith as Charlotte
* Chris Perfetti as George
* François Arnaud as Sammy
* Susan Park as Sage
* Cree Cicchino as Bianca

## Production

In February 2024, it was announced Dylan O'Brien had joined the cast of the film, with James Sweeney set to direct and co-star from a screenplay he wrote, David Permut set to produce and Republic Pictures set to distribute. In May 2024, Aisling Franciosi and Lauren Graham joined the cast of the film. In August 2024, Tasha Smith, Chris Perfetti, François Arnaud, Susan Park and Cree Cicchino joined the cast of the film.
Principal photography took place in Portland, Oregon.

## Release

Twinless premiered in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2025.
When the film was made available to festival viewers who opted to view the film remotely online during Sundance, graphic clips and GIFs from the film showing Dylan O'Brien's character having gay sex were leaked online by O'Brien's fans and shared across the social media platforms Twitter and Tumblr. The clips were later taken down after copyright infringement claims were filed, and the film itself was later removed from the Sundance online platform, causing enragement from attendees in the festival.

## Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 95% of 44 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.9/10. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 81 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
Benjamin Lee of The Guardian termed it a "dark, inventive comedy", adding that the "smart and highly unusual film earns its boundary-pushing because he never loses sight of the inescapable, human sadness at its core". The Hollywood Reporter's Lovia Gyarkye commended O'Brien's dual performances, and was appreciative of Sweeney's craft in "shifting between dry humor, gutting devastation and emotional poignancy".
Commenting on Sweeney's direction, Peter Debruge of Variety wrote, "On just his second film, the gifted young helmer demonstrates a sophisticated sense of framing, pace and exquisitely uncomfortable dramatic tension".

### Accolades

| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
| Palm Springs International Film Festival | January 3, 2025 | Directors to Watch | James Sweeney | Won |
| Sundance Film Festival | January 31, 2025 | Grand Jury Prize – U.S. Dramatic | Twinless | Nominated |
| Sundance Film Festival | January 31, 2025 | Audience Award – U.S. Dramatic | Twinless | Won |
| Sundance Film Festival | January 31, 2025 | U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting | Dylan O'Brien | Won |