Daring ‘Twinless’ ventures beyond brotherly love
If a movie can be simultaneously intriguing and annoying, it’s “Twinless.” It thrives on stirring up discomfort and creating angst in viewers by introducing characters who behave reprehensibly and then count on us to either like or empathize with them. Yet, that does nothing to discount the movie’s fearless approach to material that’s hardly warm and fuzzy.
It’s as if writer-director-star James Sweeney is daring us to dismiss his Dennis, a lonely, somewhat unhinged quasi-stalker fixated on the straight twin brother of his deceased gay lover. In addition to playing Roman, the object of his obsession, “The Maze Runner’s” Dylan O’Brien pulls double duty as Rocky, the charismatic lothario who seduces Dennis into a one-night stand that indirectly leads to Rocky’s death. The two actors share plenty of chemistry, but there’s an inherent creep factor that I could not get past.
You see, we’re expected to root for Dennis, a snarky, selfish individual with obvious psychological issues that are neither mentioned nor expressed. There’s a reason why he has no companions and feels compelled to fib to his co-workers about having an active social life. But Sweeney (“Straight Up”) isn’t all that eager to explore it. He’d rather present Dennis’s oddities as darkly comical. And in the process, he overplays the neediness of a guy so desperate for human connection that he’ll lie and deceive to obtain it.
Lucky for Dennis, he’s found the perfect dupe in the hunky Roman, an overly sincere, not particularly bright twenty-something who is racked by guilt and grief over the recent death of Rocky, a man who was everything he’s not – gregarious and uninhibited, the life of the party. But also a bit of a shit, as evidenced the night he picks up Dennis in a fast-food joint, lures him into bed for a full night of sex and pillow talk before ghosting him the following day.
But Dennis can’t take a hint and continues attempting to contact Rocky, only to be rebuffed. A few days later, Dennis is driving through downtown Portland when he spies Rocky and another man arm in arm. When he calls his name, Rocky turns to respond. But the moment he does, he’s struck and killed by a passing vehicle. Instead of being wracked by remorse, Dennis cooks up a plan to go after the next best thing, Roman, whom he targets when joining the same therapy group for folks who’ve lost a twin sibling.
You can guess the rest without much effort because the plot is disappointingly predictable, as Sweeney foregoes an ideal opportunity to examine what it’s like for a twin to lose their other half. It’s a subject, I must admit, that I’d never given much thought about, but found instantly fascinating, despite Sweeney’s cursory exploration.
We do witness Roman beating up on himself – and others, literally – for not being more accepting of his bro’s alternative lifestyle. But too often, “Twinless” brushes past these deeper emotions in favor of typical bromantic escapades, such as Dennis and Roman attending hockey games, dressing in similar costumes for Halloween, or going grocery shopping together. And as these partnering activities bring Roman closer to Dennis, the more you cringe at the latter’s increasing need to fill his emptiness at the former’s expense.
And that would be the end of the road if not for the breath of fresh air that is Aisling Franciosi as Dennis’s perky co-worker, Marcie. What’s remarkable about Fransiosi’s breakthrough performance is how she so perfectly underplays Marcie early on, coming off as the typical quirky co-worker whose purpose seems limited to serving as Dennis’s sounding board. But then, around the halfway point, she steps to the fore when she falls for Roman, whom she meets at a Halloween party. Roman is smitten, and so are we. But not Dennis. He’s jealous and resentful, and displays his rancor via caustic, under-the-breath digs at Marcie, who gradually gets wise to what Dennis is doing with Roman.
Again, Sweeney expects our sympathies to lie with Dennis, but I just found him increasingly irritating and, yes, frightening. You wonder, is this guy dangerous? And does he not expect Roman to eventually see through his lies? Well, in O’Brien’s hands, Roman is so insufferably naive, you believe he never will.
And therein lies my principal gripe with “Twinless.” And that is that none of it feels the least bit authentic. Is there really anyone as heartless as Dennis and as blind as Roman? It undercuts any hope the film has of delivering the poignant payoff it aims to achieve.
Still, I can assure you that “Twinless” isn’t a wasted watch. There are some redeeming qualities, namely the soundtrack compiled by Jung Jae-il (“Parasite) and prominently featuring Evan and Jaron’s earworm, “Crazy for This Girl,” on which Dennis and Roman join voices during their frequent road trips. Then there’s the marvelous cinematography courtesy of Greg Cotton, who makes deft use of the evocative Portland locations, particularly during a fraught scene set inside Hopscotch, the city’s immersive experience in which participants interact with gorgeous, colorful light installations. Would it be sacrilege to say it reminded me a lot of the house of mirrors in Orson Welles’s “The Lady from Shanghai”?
The performances are generally strong, although I wish Sweeney had toned it down a bit and rendered Dennis less twee and a wee bit more complex. There are times when the tone Sweeney sets for Dennis is so remote from Roman and Marcie that it’s distracting. And why cast an actress as fine as Lauren Graham as Roman and Rocky’s mother when you’re not going to do anything interesting with her?
While Franciosi is a real find, I wish I could say the same about Sweeney. Whether it’s his writing, directing, or acting, he tends to go overboard. Dialing it back a notch or two would have served him well. As is, it costs the story the genuineness to satisfy.
This is only Sweeney’s second film, and the first that I’ve seen. Clearly, he possesses nascent talent, as demonstrated by “Twinless” picking up the audience award at January’s Sundance Film Festival. Maybe it’s a generational thing, but I found his stabs at black humor almost as lacking as his purported message about loneliness, isolation and the desperation they can provoke. But, damn, he’s adept at making you feel something, good or bad. And in this age of monotonous, cookie-cutter films, that just might be enough to set him apart.
Movie review
Twinless
Rated: R for language, sexual situations, nudity
Cast: James Sweeney, Dylan O’Brien, Aisling Franciosi and Lauren Graham
Director: James Sweeney
Writer: James Sweeney
Runtime: 100 minutes
Where: In theaters now (limited)
Grade: B-
