Reviews

Fans who know Dylan O’Brien best from his early work in Teen Wolf and The Maze Runner will see the actor in a whole new light with his double releases – Twinless and Send Help – this week.

In the dark comedy Twinless, which was a film festival darling last year, writer-director James Sweeney plays Dennis, who meets Roman (O’Brien) at a support group for people grieving their deceased twins.

Dennis and Roman, who recently lost his identical twin Rocky, become best friends, as if they’re filling the hole left by their twins, so naturally, Dennis isn’t too impressed when Roman starts to date his work colleague Marcie (Aisling Francoisi) and has less time for him.

The best way to experience Twinless is by knowing as little as possible. Everything after this initial setup becomes spoiler territory because there are many wild twists, turns and character revelations. To put it mildly, Dennis is not who he says he is.

Sweeney deserves so much credit for his screenplay because his writing is brilliant.

He has a twisted sense of humour and manages to make Twinless frequently laugh-out-loud funny despite its dark premise.

As well as the jokes, Sweeney does a superb job of building these characters and fleshing out their relationships before turning everything you know on its head with unexpected reveals.

If writing wasn’t enough, Sweeney also directed the film and has one of the leading roles, which is a lot of duties to take on.

He has only acted in two of his own films – plus several shorts – but you would never know because he is so natural and plays the unpredictable Dennis so subtly.

Sweeney also capably shares the screen with O’Brien, who takes his acting to a whole new level with a dual role that proves his range and talent.

If you didn’t think O’Brien was a good actor before, Twinless will make sure you do now.

Francoisi is also a delight as the sunny Marcie, who is sweet and kind but can see through Dennis’ lies more than Roman.

Clever, hilarious and unpredictable, Twinless is a top-tier movie from start to finish. Don’t miss it!

In cinemas Friday 6th February

By Hannah Wales

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