Confusing conclusion aside, “Straight Up,” gay actor/writer/director James Sweeney’s 2020 feature-length debut, was one of the best movies of that year. Five years later, Sweeney has returned with “Twinless” (Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions), a queer, dark black comedy/drama that is hard to shake.
“Twinless” begins with the death of Rocky (Dylan O’Brien, delivering an Oscar-worthy performance), the gay identical twin brother of straight Roman (also O’Brien), who is hit by a car. At Rocky’s funeral in Portland, Oregon, his friends are overcome by grief, doubly so because of Roman’s identical likeness. Roman and his mother, Lisa (Lauren Graham), are struggling with their grief as they go through Rocky’s things and realize they both need help to deal with the loss.
Remaining in Portland after Lisa returns home to Idaho, Roman joins a grief support group for twins. It’s there that he meets Dennis (Sweeney), a gay man whose twin brother Dean is also deceased. They leave the bad food at the meeting and head to a diner where they get better acquainted. Because of their shared anguish, they begin hanging out, going to the supermarket, bookstore, and eating together, thereby establishing a bond.
At around the 20-minute mark, suddenly the title credits appear on-screen, and we are taken back in time. Dennis, eating at the diner, meets Rocky, who hits on him and then takes him for a romp in the sack. Their post-sex talk is sweet, and each reveals personal details to the other. It becomes obvious that Dennis has quickly fallen for Rocky. But Rocky ghosts him. Dennis gains entry into Rocky’s building and follows him and his boyfriend, George (Chris Perfetti). After almost hitting them with his car, he confronts Rocky, who, while walking towards him, is hit by a car and killed.
While this may sound like a spoiler, it’s not, because the remainder of the movie’s 80-minute runtime becomes about Dennis maintaining the fantasy he has created, including a twin brother who never existed.
Surprisingly, he’s able to keep it going for longer than you might expect, even though there are occasional bumps in the road. For example, on one of their market trips, Roman and Dennis run into George, who momentarily mistakes Roman for Rocky, even though he was with him when he died. There’s also Dennis’s co-worker Marcie (Aisling Franciosi), whom Dennis has long dismissed as an airhead. But she’s smarter than he thinks, and when she begins a romantic relationship with Roman, she becomes increasingly aware of the cracks in Dennis’ façade. All this ultimately leads to a Dennis and Roman confession and confrontation, which is devastating.
Sweeney’s previously mentioned first film had a mid-career Woody Allen energy to it. In the case of “Twinless,” Sweeney goes for Hitchcock, and succeeds.
Rating: B+
