“Twinless” is a comedy revolving around two men grieving over the loss of their respective twins. The movie arrives in a year when twins were quite popular. Michael B. Jordan played the Smokestack twins in “Sinners.” Robert De Niro played identical characters in “The Alto Knights,” and Robert Pattinson played numerous copies of Mickey in “Mickey 17.”
One might wonder what the process is for an actor to create distinct performances for two visually identical characters. For Dylan O’Brien, he was thankful that writer-director James Sweeney allowed a two-week break for him to go to do the necessary work, as he explained in a recent interview:
“In the weeks preceding production, we had talked a lot about scheduling…we wanted to make sure that we were getting some kind of separation between the two parts. Just before the holiday, we shot one of the brothers, and then [we shot the other brother] after we had the holiday break, so I had about two-and-a-half, maybe three tops weeks between the guys. Today, on an independent production, that’s such a luxury to get.”
It’s allowances like these that grant performers playing multiple roles the ability to thrive and convince audiences that what they’re seeing are distinct, separate people. Expect to see the results of this creative process later this year.
The movie stars Dylan O’Brien, James Sweeney, Aisling Franciosi, Lauren Graham, Tasha Smith, Chris Perfetti, François Arnaud, Susan Park, and Cree Cicchino. It’s written and directed by James Sweeney. Producers are David Permut and Sweeney. Executive producers are Liz Destro, David Gendron, Ali Jazayeri, Miky Lee, Dylan O’Brien, and Kevin Sullivan.
The movie focuses on the concept of a “twinless twin,” someone who has lost a twin sibling. It centers on the grief and identity crisis that ensues when one twin dies. Specifically, its effects on two grieving men.
Synopsis:
Two young men strike up an unlikely, sexually intense friendship after meeting in a support group for twinless twins.
Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate will release “Twinless” in theaters September 5. Watch the trailer below.
