Twinless is a 2025 American psychological black comedy film produced, written and directed by James Sweeney. The film stars Dylan O'Brien, Sweeney, Aisling Franciosi, Chris Perfetti, François Arnaud, Tasha Smith, and Lauren Graham.
Twinless had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2025, in the U.S. Dramatic Competition, where it won the Audience Award. It was released in the United States by Lionsgate Films and Roadside Attractions on September 5, 2025.
Plot
Dennis, a young gay man living in Portland, Oregon, meets a man named Rocky at a diner. The two hit it off and have sex. Over the next few days, Rocky ignores Dennis's attempts to communicate, leading Dennis to visit Rocky's apartment in an attempt to speak with him. Unobserved, he sees Rocky with another man and follows them in his car. He eventually approaches them on the street and confronts Rocky for rejecting him. As Rocky begins to reply, he steps into the street and is fatally struck by a car.
Rocky's twin, Roman, grieves the death of his brother. He joins a support group for twinless twins and quickly makes the acquaintance of fellow attendee Dennis, who wound up in the support group by following Roman from Rocky's funeral. Dennis lies about having had a twin to get close to Roman, and the two become close friends. Dennis introduces Roman to his colleague Marcie; the two become a couple, leading Dennis to become jealous. Eventually, Marcie begins to notice inconsistencies in Dennis's claims about his family life. When she uncovers the truth, she insists that Dennis disclose his lies to Roman.
While sharing a hotel room with Roman, a drunk Dennis offers him a foot massage, which Roman accepts. Overcome with transferred lust for Rocky, Dennis begins sucking Roman's toes. When Roman declines his advances, Dennis confesses his deception. An angry Roman punches Dennis repeatedly and leaves. Roman and Dennis become socially isolated after falling out, while Roman and Marcie continue their relationship.
Some time later, Dennis and Roman meet at a diner, where they discuss Rocky and their friendship. In unison, they ask a waitress for a to-go box, an idiosyncrasy once shared by Roman and Rocky.
Cast
Dylan O'Brien as Roman / Rocky James Sweeney as Dennis Aisling Franciosi as Marcie Chris Perfetti as George François Arnaud as Sammy Tasha Smith as Charlotte Lauren Graham as Lisa, Rocky and Roman's mother Susan Park as Sage Cree as Bianca Katie Findlay as Lori
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. In April 2025, Republic Pictures sold the film to other studios for its theatrical release, with Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions acquiring the U.S. distribution rights and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions acquiring the international rights. It was released on September 5, 2025.
When the film was made available to festival viewers who opted to view the film remotely online during Sundance, clips and GIFs from the film showing O'Brien's character having sex were leaked online and shared across social media platforms. The clips were later taken down after copyright infringement claims were filed, and the film itself was later removed from the Sundance online platform.
Home media The film was released on Blu-ray on May 12, 2026.
Reception Critical response Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 79 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of A on an A+ to F scale.
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 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 Astra Film AwardsJanuary 9, 2026 Best Actor – Drama Dylan O'Brien Best Indie FeatureTwinless GLAAD Media Awards March 5, 2026 Outstanding Film – Wide ReleaseTwinless Independent Spirit AwardsFebruary 15, 2026 Best FeatureTwinless Best Lead PerformanceDylan O'Brien Best Screenplay James SweeneyMiami Film FestivalNovember 1, 2025Vanguard Award Dylan O'BrienNew York Film Critics OnlineDecember 15, 2025 Best Actor Dylan O'Brien Best Screenplay James Sweeney Palm Springs International Film Festival January 3, 2025 Directors to Watch James Sweeney San Francisco Bay Area Critics Circle Awards December 14, 2025 Special Citation for Independent Cinema Twinless Savannah Film Festival November 1, 2025 Lumiere AwardDylan O'Brien Seattle International Film FestivalMay 25, 2025 Best Director James Sweeney Best FilmTwinlessSundance Film FestivalJanuary 31, 2025 Audience Award – U.S. DramaticTwinless Grand Jury Prize – U.S. DramaticTwinless U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting Dylan O'Brien
References
Further reading
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