My twin sister, who is two minutes younger than me, does not look anything like me. But we still share that bond allowing us to win at any team game that requires knowing things. In fact, I was supposed to meet her for trivia at a bar the other night before we had to cancel.
I wound up going to the movie theater alone instead — to see “Twinless.”
I honestly had a hard time writing my reaction to this film after seeing it. “Twinless” is a true symphony of grief, love, loneliness and humor. The experience of the movie is hard to capture after the fact, but I can confidently say I haven’t felt such a wild ride of pure (and sometimes embarrassing) emotions in public since watching “Challengers” last year on yet another solo trip to the theater.
“Twinless” is a movie that will make you audibly sob and chuckle and get all red in the face within a span of minutes. Dylan O’Brien, in particular, blew me away as he portrayed Roman and his gay twin brother, Rocky, confidently exploring the different characteristics of both individuals.
I never thought I would consider O’Brien an Oscar-worthy actor, with his background in the TV show “Teen Wolf” and the “Maze Runner” films. But now, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear his name in Academy circles. The most memorable scene from “Twinless” is where Roman and Dennis (James Sweeney) are facing each other on opposite beds in a hotel room. No spoilers, but the emotion carried on O’Brien’s face and in his words is something I can still see and hear when I think back to the movie.
Loneliness is a feeling experienced by every character in “Twinless.” Roman missed his brother even before Rocky was gone, Dennis lived and ate alone and Marcie (Aisling Franciosi) mentions how she thought she would have been married by this point in her life. I appreciate this mutual feeling of being alone, because loneliness is, in reality, a very constant feeling in life. I feel it walking home from work and eating lunch — and I fear it when I think about life after graduation. It’s okay to be lonely, but what’s important is that we still try to connect with people. Roman joins a support group, Dennis reaches out to Roman and Marcie reaches out to Dennis.
As a twin, I can relate to Roman’s feelings towards his brother. Near the start of the movie, Roman tells Dennis that because he had a twin, he can’t make friends easily. When I moved to college and had to find connections besides my sister, it was really hard. I joined organizations and started therapy and called my family a lot.
And now in my fourth year of college, I can finally say I have people I can reach out to and call comfortably when my twin sister is busy. But, no one will ever know me as well as her. I truly wonder if non-twins envy twins for their closeness, and if they realize closeness can be a weakness when separated. When I left the movie theatre that Tuesday night, I left with a resolve to spend more time with my twin and appreciate the unique relationship we have.
Marin Chester is a 21-year-old UF wildlife ecology and conservation senior.
