In the wake of his twin brother’s tragic death, Roman attends a “twinless” support group where he meets Dennis. The two form an unlikely friendship, but a painful secret threatens to tear everything apart. Despite an interesting hook, Twinless is plagued by graphic sexual content (involving both homosexual and heterosexual couples), vulgar language and murky ideology.
Roman feels as though he has lost a part of himself.
His brother, Rocky, is dead, killed in a traffic accident. As traumatic as that loss would be, Roman’s pain occupies an additional dimension. Roman and Rocky weren’t just brothers.
They were twins.
Two halves of a whole, in Roman’s mind. And now one of those halves is gone.
Struggling to process this distinctive grief, Roman attends a “twinless” twin support group.
That’s where he meets Dennis. It turns out Dennis’ twin, Dean, died in a car accident, too.
Even though they’re quite different, the two young men bond over their shared loss and become friends. Before long, they’re inseparable, helping each other chase away the loneliness that had taken hold of their lives.
But a secret lurks in the shadows of this new friendship—one that, if revealed, would tear everything apart.
Roman and Dennis, though very different in both interests and personality, develop a genuine friendship that improves both of their lives.
Marcie, Roman’s girlfriend, is kind and incredibly understanding. She stands up for herself (and others) when mistreated but is also quick to forgive.
We hear stories of love and support shared between twins. Someone gives a thoughtful gift. A broken relationship seems to be mending.
When someone says he doesn’t deserve to be forgiven, Marcie tells him, “Deservedness is not a requisite for forgiveness.” That statement finds echoes in the Christian faith, though the film certainly doesn’t connect those spiritual dots.
Roman repeats a phrase throughout the film: “If you’re going to hell, keep going.” It’s a sarcastic, if unintentional, subversion of a more familiar phrase (more on that below) that belies Roman’s despair in the wake of his brother’s death. (Among other things.)
Later, Marcie restores the phrase to original wording: “If you’re going through hell, keep going”—a hopeful (if coarse) encouragement to soldier on through difficulties.
Several characters, including Dennis as well as Roman’s late brother, are gay. There is an extended and graphic sex scene between two men. The scene includes nudity and sexual movements. Another sex scene, this time between a man and a woman, is briefer but only slightly less graphic.
Roman tells Dennis that he “experimented” with kissing another guy after his brother came out as gay—though this is presented less as true homosexual interest and more Roman’s effort to try to understand Rocky’s attraction.
There are homosexual and heterosexual kisses throughout the film. A male character comes on to another man but is rebuffed. A man and woman hold each other in the shower. (Nothing critical is seen.)
Roman references female anatomy when asked about his “type.” He is often seen shirtless. A man says he fell in love with someone after a one-night stand. Another guy appears to have moved in with his girlfriend. Past sexual encounters are discussed. A character begins to obsess over another, even sniffing the man’s hair and clothes.
Pornographic videos involving bestiality are mentioned. Someone jokes about a sexually transmitted disease. The sexual term “edging” is mentioned. A woman talks about her twin stealing her boyfriend growing up.
Someone says gender is an artificial construct. We hear references to bodily fluids.
Rocky dies after being struck by a car. We see the moment of impact, but (fortunately) not the aftermath. His death is inadvertently caused by another character. Later, someone describes the grim details of the accident.
Roman has a temper and occasionally flies into a violent rage. After a group of guys insults Dennis, Roman beats them senseless. And he describes the very violent way he would deal with the person who caused Rocky’s death.
Someone is beaten badly after sharing a painful secret. While playing The Sims, Roman’s video game character burns to death. Friends discuss the death penalty. A driver almost hits two people with his car. People discuss hamsters eating their babies. A man talks about his dog dying.
Vanishing Twin Syndrome is discussed, and a man wonders if he “ate [his twin] in the womb.” Someone redesigns the cover of The Giving Tree to depict a violent event. We hear that one twin injured himself so his twin wouldn’t have to feel pain alone.
The f-word is used more than 45 times, and the s-word is heard four times. God’s name is abused nine times. Jesus’ name is misused twice.
Additionally, there are uses of “h—” and “a–.” A few crude references to male anatomy are heard, along with the slur “f-ggots.”
Roman and Dennis drink bourbon. Dennis gets drunk once. Other characters drink at a party. A woman offers her guests wine with dinner.
Roman carries a lot of guilt related to how he reacted when Rocky told him he was gay. He tells Dennis (standing in for the late Rocky), “I don’t know who to be without you.” He thinks that being a twin—having someone to do everything with—made him too needy. On a few occasions, people mistake Roman for Rocky, and he doesn’t correct them. (He finds it easier to simply go with it.)
Dennis fakes an anxiety attack and frequently lies to those around him. He confesses that he doesn’t like most versions of himself.
Roman’s mother is depressed, and the conversations with her remaining son often devolve into shouting matches. A woman says she expected to be married by 28 and that the “clock is ticking for [her] eggs.” We hear a reference to epigenetics. There’s also a flippant joke about sweatshop workers.
Someone vomits after a fight.
At one point in Twinless, Roman digs through his late brother’s kitchen cabinets for a snack. He finds a package of Pop-Tarts. But after tearing open the foil wrapper, he finds a lone toaster pastry where there should have been two. It’s missing its twin.
This emotional moment is all the more poignant because of its mundanity. Roman is missing his twin. It’s a unique dimension of grief to explore, and the movie does so with nuanced performances and simmering tension.
But the content problems found in Twinless are simply too severe to navigate .
Chief among these issues is the movie’s extended graphic sexual content, featuring both homosexual and heterosexual couples. Several conversations revolve around sex and sexual orientation. And an uncomfortable (and unrequited) obsession builds throughout the film.
Additionally, violence crops up, accidental or otherwise. The film is full of vulgar language. And much of the plot revolves around lying to those who are grieving.
Considering that, Twinless is not worth the baggage it brings.
Bret loves a good story—be it a movie, show, or video game—and enjoys geeking out about things like plot and story structure. He has a blast reading and writing fiction and has penned several short stories and screenplays. He and his wife love to kayak the many beautiful Colorado lakes with their dog.
