{"id":1748602,"date":"2026-02-04T10:04:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T07:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1748602"},"modified":"2026-02-04T10:04:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T07:04:00","slug":"twinless-a-tragicomic-drama-about-loneliness-grief-and-queer-friendship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1748602","title":{"rendered":"Twinless: A tragicomic drama about loneliness, grief and queer friendship"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/0-0-2304-1536\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436241.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"main-article standard \">\n<div class=\"article-main-content article-wrapper has-media-but-its-an-image\" data-status=\"loaded\" data-primary-article=\"true\" data-url=\"\/art-photography\/article\/69547\/1\/twinless-a-tragicomic-drama-loneliness-grief-queer-friendship-dylan-o-brien\" data-article-id=\"69547\">\n<header class=\"article-header has-landscape-image no-media\">\n<div class=\"wrapper dg-max-width\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<figure class=\"main-img no-figcaption\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.46\" data-template=\"Standard Article\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Twinless5 - online\" class=\"img\" height=\"1582\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1400\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436241.jpg\" width=\"2304\"><\/span><\/span><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"inner\"><time datetime=\"2026-02-04T10:04:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"04 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">February<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"4\">4,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"titles\">\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical - art-photography\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\">Art &amp; Photography<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"title\"><span>Twinless: A tragicomic drama about loneliness, grief and <span class=\"nowrap\">queer friendship<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"standfirst\">\n<h2>We spoke with actor Dylan O&#8217;Brien and director James Sweeney about sex scenes, gay actors playing straight, and the \u2018violation\u2019 of <span class=\"nowrap\">leaking films<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-02-04T10:04:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"04 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">February<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"4\">4,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-02-04T10:04:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"04 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">February<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"4\">4,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/p>\n<div class=\"providers\">\n<div class=\"contributors\"><span class=\"contributor\" data-contributor-role=\"Text\"><span class=\"contributor-role\">Text<\/span><a class=\"contributor-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/user\/NickChen\">Nick Chen<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article-body-container\">\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p>Dylan O\u2019Brien is already a contender for the two most nuanced, contrasting performances of 2026. In <em>Twinless<\/em>, a hilarious and heartbreaking queer drama from writer-director James Sweeney, O\u2019Brien embodies two identical twins: Rocky is a jovial gay man with an active sex life and colourful wardrobe, while Roman is a repressed, hoodie-wearing straight dude whose gym sessions are prompted by anger issues.<\/p>\n<p>O\u2019Brien, a 34-year-old American actor, is speaking to me a day before his other new film, Sam Raimi\u2019s <em>Send Help<\/em>, premieres in London. His versatility has seen him do everything from YA franchises (<em>The Maze Runner<\/em>, <em>Teen Wolf<\/em>) and a Taylor Swift music video (he leads <em>All Too Well: The Short Film<\/em>) to oddball comedies (<em>Curb Your Enthusiasm<\/em>, <em>Not Okay<\/em>) and edgy thrillers (<em>Caldo Lake<\/em>, <em>Ponyboi<\/em>). However, O\u2019Brien was cast by Sweeney after an insightful Zoom call in 2020, which is demonstrated by the actor\u2019s psychological deconstruction of the two siblings.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI never viewed Rocky as someone who was out early in his life,\u201d explains O\u2019Brien. \u201cI think in high school he was a straight-masking person, and I wanted to embrace the physicalities that flourished out of him \u2013 he walks with his butt a bit more. Rocky represents his sexuality in a way that a lot of straight people feel bound. In straight-boy culture, you\u2019re surviving this fratty sense of masculinity. Roman\u2019s very enclosed and walks tough. He looks like a rock. But Rocky waves his ass, and has confidence and freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"pxseQQkGvb8\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"422\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pxseQQkGvb8\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"750\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p>Aside from DNA, facial features, and certain emotional traits, the other thing Rocky and Roman share in common is Dennis, a gay loner played by Sweeney. After a one-night stand with Rocky, Dennis panics that he\u2019s been ghosted: five consecutive texts go unanswered, despite a \u201cperfect date\u201d (eight hours awake, four hours asleep).<\/p>\n<p>Confronting Rocky on the street, Dennis witnesses the crushing of his crush by a speeding vehicle. What follows is Dennis spying on Rocky\u2019s funeral, and then befriending Roman at a support group for grieving twins, a deception that grows murkier when the catfished brother believes he\u2019s made a genuine friend. Tragically, that\u2019s exactly what happens: Dennis and Rocky become best buds, a bond that\u2019s meaningful, all-consuming, and doomed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve had all sorts of reactions from people experiencing different kinds of grief, not just twins,\u201d says Sweeney on a Zoom call from LA. \u201cGrief is multifaceted. I\u2019m so touched the film affects people, but it\u2019s also a good time.\u201d For the 35-year-old Asian-American filmmaker, it\u2019s midnight and four hours after he\u2019s returned from Sundance 2026. \u201cI did a victory lap of walking around Park City, getting recognised everywhere,\u201d he says with a laugh. \u201cI\u2019m extra delirious from the lack of sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Twinless<\/em> premiered a year ago at Sundance, winning the Audience Award for Best Drama and the Jury Prize for Best Actor; at the upcoming Independent Spirit Awards, it\u2019s nominated for Best Film, Best Lead Performance, and Best Screenplay. Sweeney wrote the script when he was 25, shortly before the release of his debut feature, <em>Straight Up<\/em>, a screwball comedy about a gay guy (played by Sweeney) experimenting with heterosexuality. The theme continues in <em>Twinless<\/em>: Roman is jealous of how Rocky could flaunt his inner being.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs an actor, Dylan is making capital \u2018C\u2019 Choices,\u201d says Sweeney. \u201cThese are larger-than-life characters that feel so real because he brings so much pathos. In terms of him playing queer \u2013 I\u2019ll take credit for giving him permission and pushing him in a direction to be fluid with the masculinity and femininity. A lot of times when straight actors play gay, they don\u2019t lean into that out of fear of being vilified by the public, and are like, \u2018We\u2019re all the same, so I\u2019m just going to play myself.\u2019 I don\u2019t mean that as a denigration to other straight actors, but I felt for Rocky to be attracted to Dennis, he would need to be comfortable with both masculinity and femininity \u2013 in my experience of dating.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When asked the same question, O\u2019Brien agrees. \u201cPermission goes a long way,\u201d he says. \u201cJames is a gay man, and coming from a place I could trust. We had a similar take on straight actors playing gay parts, especially in recent years: you started seeing straight actors playing a queer role completely straight. It started to feel inauthentic. It was nice to have his insight, support, and calibration. He\u2019d be like, \u2018Go crazy on this one. We can dial it back if it doesn\u2019t feel real.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Due to the Christmas holidays, there was a two-week break during the shoot. Rocky\u2019s scenes were all shot first, then O\u2019Brien put on muscle for Roman\u2019s storyline. \u201cI was constantly contextualising how one saw the other one,\u201d says O\u2019Brien. \u201cIt\u2019s Roman unleashing his feelings about Rocky in the motel scene, or the flashback of Rocky speaking about Roman with such love but at a loss.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, Sweeney shot the first act on grainy 35mm to emulate nostalgia and enter Roman\u2019s na\u00efve perspective. When the movie shifts to digital, it\u2019s when the story reveals Dennis\u2019s secret backstory with Rocky. \u201cIt\u2019s an intellectual exercise for me,\u201d says Sweeney. \u201cThe idea is that it\u2019s imperceptive to the audience, but they feel that something\u2019s different.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"60b1d951-dca4-4a62-8eb1-b3e60123f976\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436242.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.5\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Twinless\" class=\"img\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436242.jpg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">A still from <span class=\"nowrap\">Twinless (2026)<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">Lionsgate<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p>One unfortunate side-effect of O\u2019Brien\u2019s popularity and festival buzz was that, a year ago, <em>Twinless<\/em> leaked during Sundance\u2019s online screenings. More specifically, the film\u2019s sex scenes were posted online. \u201cIt\u2019s literally a crime,\u201d says Sweeney. \u201cIt has effects. A theatrical release in another country was cancelled because of piracy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Has it made Sweeney reconsider doing a sex scene in the future? \u201cIt has, honestly. It sort of became the narrative of the film. Oftentimes, my name will be removed from the sentence, and it\u2019s \u2018the twink bottom director\u2019, so it feels really reductive. It felt like the most momentum we ever had was the leak, and it didn\u2019t parlay into people watching the film at the same time.\u201d He adds, \u201cIt\u2019s interesting how entitled we are to have everything immediately accessible, especially when it comes to sex scenes. There are websites dedicated to just watching them, and it can feel violating. But the beauty of film is that it lives forever. I\u2019m excited for people to know nothing about it in 20 years, and to go, \u2018Oh my God.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSomething that gets lost is the human element,\u201d says O\u2019Brien on the same subject. \u201cEveryone touches on the business standpoint and piracy. James really opened my eyes to the breach in humanity that it is.\u201d As a result, <em>Twinless<\/em> was pulled from Sundance\u2019s online platform. The festival became <em>Twinless<\/em>-less. \u201cMany people didn\u2019t get to see the movie. Maybe one more pair of eyes would have got us a crazy deal. I\u2019m still wrestling with how I feel about it. Is merely commenting on it making it worse?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While <em>Twinless<\/em> is a wordy, heartfelt tragicomedy about different forms of loneliness, it appears to be heavily influenced by Brian De Palma: split-screens, split diopters, conversation scenes that feel like action set-pieces, and the role of twins themselves (<em>Sisters<\/em>, <em>Passion<\/em>). Sweeney is less sure. \u201cI guess it\u2019s his ethos,\u201d he says. \u201cI recently stumbled upon an interview where he talked about seeing a gap in the marketplace to create something subversive but also commercial. I don\u2019t know I ever thought <em>Twinless<\/em> would be a big commercial success, partially because it\u2019s a queer film.\u201d He adds, \u201cA lot of things could have made it more commercial, like if I wasn\u2019t in it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Either way, Sweeney, who hopes that 35mm prints of <em>Twinless<\/em> could still be struck for theatrical screenings, is clearly a gifted filmmaker who\u2019s just getting started. O\u2019Brien cites a specific scene \u2013 it involves toe-sucking \u2013 that gets audiences howling despite it preceding moments of utter heartbreak. In fact, when I saw it, the film routinely made the crowd laugh so loudly that the next bits of dialogue were missed. As Sweeney puts it: \u201cI write comedy and direct drama. Somehow, I merge the two together.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! 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href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/article\/69441\/1\/cova-da-moura-loan-lamoureux-lisbon-hip-hop-photographs-portugal\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Lamoureux, Kova M\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/1-556-1999-1330\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/4\/1434318.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">Cova da Moura: Vibrant portraits from the hip-hop capital of Lisbon<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/article\/69438\/1\/gabriel-chiu-breathe-me-in-asian-diaspora-portraits-new-york-photography\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Gabriel Chiu, Breathe Me In\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/0-2-3000-1995\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/4\/1434365.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">These dreamy portraits rebel against stereotypes of Asian youth culture<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline\" data-newsletter hidden>\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p>Dylan O\u2019Brien is already a contender for the two most nuanced, contrasting performances of 2026. In <em>Twinless<\/em>, a hilarious and heartbreaking queer drama from writer-director James Sweeney, O\u2019Brien embodies two identical twins: Rocky is a jovial gay man with an active sex life and colourful wardrobe, while Roman is a repressed, hoodie-wearing straight dude whose gym sessions are prompted by anger issues.<\/p>\n<p>O\u2019Brien, a 34-year-old American actor, is speaking to me a day before his other new film, Sam Raimi\u2019s <em>Send Help<\/em>, premieres in London. His versatility has seen him do everything from YA franchises (<em>The Maze Runner<\/em>, <em>Teen Wolf<\/em>) and a Taylor Swift music video (he leads <em>All Too Well: The Short Film<\/em>) to oddball comedies (<em>Curb Your Enthusiasm<\/em>, <em>Not Okay<\/em>) and edgy thrillers (<em>Caldo Lake<\/em>, <em>Ponyboi<\/em>). However, O\u2019Brien was cast by Sweeney after an insightful Zoom call in 2020, which is demonstrated by the actor\u2019s psychological deconstruction of the two siblings.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI never viewed Rocky as someone who was out early in his life,\u201d explains O\u2019Brien. \u201cI think in high school he was a straight-masking person, and I wanted to embrace the physicalities that flourished out of him \u2013 he walks with his butt a bit more. Rocky represents his sexuality in a way that a lot of straight people feel bound. In straight-boy culture, you\u2019re surviving this fratty sense of masculinity. Roman\u2019s very enclosed and walks tough. He looks like a rock. But Rocky waves his ass, and has confidence and freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"pxseQQkGvb8\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"422\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pxseQQkGvb8\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"750\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p>Aside from DNA, facial features, and certain emotional traits, the other thing Rocky and Roman share in common is Dennis, a gay loner played by Sweeney. After a one-night stand with Rocky, Dennis panics that he\u2019s been ghosted: five consecutive texts go unanswered, despite a \u201cperfect date\u201d (eight hours awake, four hours asleep).<\/p>\n<p>Confronting Rocky on the street, Dennis witnesses the crushing of his crush by a speeding vehicle. What follows is Dennis spying on Rocky\u2019s funeral, and then befriending Roman at a support group for grieving twins, a deception that grows murkier when the catfished brother believes he\u2019s made a genuine friend. Tragically, that\u2019s exactly what happens: Dennis and Rocky become best buds, a bond that\u2019s meaningful, all-consuming, and doomed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve had all sorts of reactions from people experiencing different kinds of grief, not just twins,\u201d says Sweeney on a Zoom call from LA. \u201cGrief is multifaceted. I\u2019m so touched the film affects people, but it\u2019s also a good time.\u201d For the 35-year-old Asian-American filmmaker, it\u2019s midnight and four hours after he\u2019s returned from Sundance 2026. \u201cI did a victory lap of walking around Park City, getting recognised everywhere,\u201d he says with a laugh. \u201cI\u2019m extra delirious from the lack of sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Twinless<\/em> premiered a year ago at Sundance, winning the Audience Award for Best Drama and the Jury Prize for Best Actor; at the upcoming Independent Spirit Awards, it\u2019s nominated for Best Film, Best Lead Performance, and Best Screenplay. Sweeney wrote the script when he was 25, shortly before the release of his debut feature, <em>Straight Up<\/em>, a screwball comedy about a gay guy (played by Sweeney) experimenting with heterosexuality. The theme continues in <em>Twinless<\/em>: Roman is jealous of how Rocky could flaunt his inner being.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs an actor, Dylan is making capital \u2018C\u2019 Choices,\u201d says Sweeney. \u201cThese are larger-than-life characters that feel so real because he brings so much pathos. In terms of him playing queer \u2013 I\u2019ll take credit for giving him permission and pushing him in a direction to be fluid with the masculinity and femininity. A lot of times when straight actors play gay, they don\u2019t lean into that out of fear of being vilified by the public, and are like, \u2018We\u2019re all the same, so I\u2019m just going to play myself.\u2019 I don\u2019t mean that as a denigration to other straight actors, but I felt for Rocky to be attracted to Dennis, he would need to be comfortable with both masculinity and femininity \u2013 in my experience of dating.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When asked the same question, O\u2019Brien agrees. \u201cPermission goes a long way,\u201d he says. \u201cJames is a gay man, and coming from a place I could trust. We had a similar take on straight actors playing gay parts, especially in recent years: you started seeing straight actors playing a queer role completely straight. It started to feel inauthentic. It was nice to have his insight, support, and calibration. He\u2019d be like, \u2018Go crazy on this one. We can dial it back if it doesn\u2019t feel real.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Due to the Christmas holidays, there was a two-week break during the shoot. Rocky\u2019s scenes were all shot first, then O\u2019Brien put on muscle for Roman\u2019s storyline. \u201cI was constantly contextualising how one saw the other one,\u201d says O\u2019Brien. \u201cIt\u2019s Roman unleashing his feelings about Rocky in the motel scene, or the flashback of Rocky speaking about Roman with such love but at a loss.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, Sweeney shot the first act on grainy 35mm to emulate nostalgia and enter Roman\u2019s na\u00efve perspective. When the movie shifts to digital, it\u2019s when the story reveals Dennis\u2019s secret backstory with Rocky. \u201cIt\u2019s an intellectual exercise for me,\u201d says Sweeney. \u201cThe idea is that it\u2019s imperceptive to the audience, but they feel that something\u2019s different.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"60b1d951-dca4-4a62-8eb1-b3e60123f976\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436242.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.5\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Twinless\" class=\"img\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436242.jpg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">A still from <span class=\"nowrap\">Twinless (2026)<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">Lionsgate<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p>One unfortunate side-effect of O\u2019Brien\u2019s popularity and festival buzz was that, a year ago, <em>Twinless<\/em> leaked during Sundance\u2019s online screenings. More specifically, the film\u2019s sex scenes were posted online. \u201cIt\u2019s literally a crime,\u201d says Sweeney. \u201cIt has effects. A theatrical release in another country was cancelled because of piracy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Has it made Sweeney reconsider doing a sex scene in the future? \u201cIt has, honestly. It sort of became the narrative of the film. Oftentimes, my name will be removed from the sentence, and it\u2019s \u2018the twink bottom director\u2019, so it feels really reductive. It felt like the most momentum we ever had was the leak, and it didn\u2019t parlay into people watching the film at the same time.\u201d He adds, \u201cIt\u2019s interesting how entitled we are to have everything immediately accessible, especially when it comes to sex scenes. There are websites dedicated to just watching them, and it can feel violating. But the beauty of film is that it lives forever. I\u2019m excited for people to know nothing about it in 20 years, and to go, \u2018Oh my God.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSomething that gets lost is the human element,\u201d says O\u2019Brien on the same subject. \u201cEveryone touches on the business standpoint and piracy. James really opened my eyes to the breach in humanity that it is.\u201d As a result, <em>Twinless<\/em> was pulled from Sundance\u2019s online platform. The festival became <em>Twinless<\/em>-less. \u201cMany people didn\u2019t get to see the movie. Maybe one more pair of eyes would have got us a crazy deal. I\u2019m still wrestling with how I feel about it. Is merely commenting on it making it worse?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While <em>Twinless<\/em> is a wordy, heartfelt tragicomedy about different forms of loneliness, it appears to be heavily influenced by Brian De Palma: split-screens, split diopters, conversation scenes that feel like action set-pieces, and the role of twins themselves (<em>Sisters<\/em>, <em>Passion<\/em>). Sweeney is less sure. \u201cI guess it\u2019s his ethos,\u201d he says. \u201cI recently stumbled upon an interview where he talked about seeing a gap in the marketplace to create something subversive but also commercial. I don\u2019t know I ever thought <em>Twinless<\/em> would be a big commercial success, partially because it\u2019s a queer film.\u201d He adds, \u201cA lot of things could have made it more commercial, like if I wasn\u2019t in it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Either way, Sweeney, who hopes that 35mm prints of <em>Twinless<\/em> could still be struck for theatrical screenings, is clearly a gifted filmmaker who\u2019s just getting started. O\u2019Brien cites a specific scene \u2013 it involves toe-sucking \u2013 that gets audiences howling despite it preceding moments of utter heartbreak. In fact, when I saw it, the film routinely made the crowd laugh so loudly that the next bits of dialogue were missed. As Sweeney puts it: \u201cI write comedy and direct drama. Somehow, I merge the two together.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/article\/69547\/1\/twinless-a-tragicomic-drama-loneliness-grief-queer-friendship-dylan-o-brien&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/0-0-2304-1536\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436241.jpg&#8221;] February\u00a0 4,\u00a0 2026 Art &amp; Photography Twinless: A tragicomic drama about loneliness, grief and queer friendship We spoke with actor Dylan O&#8217;Brien and director James Sweeney about sex scenes, gay actors playing straight, and the \u2018violation\u2019 of leaking films February\u00a0 4,\u00a0 2026 February\u00a0 4,\u00a0 2026 TextNick Chen Dylan O\u2019Brien is already a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,76],"class_list":["post-1748602","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dazeddigital-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1748602","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1748602"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1748602\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1748602"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1748602"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1748602"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}