One of the Best Movie Twists of the Year Comes From a Sundance Hit That's Finally in Theaters

This article contains spoilers for Twinless .

Fans of indie cinema and internet darling Dylan O'Brien have been hearing about Twinless —a new dark comedy from Straight Up director James Sweeney, who also stars in the film—for what feels like ages, ever since we got a rather indecorous introduction to the film earlier this year. After the movie premiered at Sundance, where it won the Audience Award for dramatic features, an explicit sex scene starring O'Brien leaked online , to both the delight of O'Brien's most ardent fans and the disappointment of the actor himself . Sex scene aside, though, it seemed that the movie was also expected to satisfy in other ways: Critics have been hailing O'Brien for his performance , which they describe as “ the performance of the year .” As of Sept. 5, Twinless is finally here with a wide theatrical release in all of its Rated-R glory. And, as predicted, it's a treat.

Twinless is a delight in many ways, even if the subject matter isn't particularly delightful. The movie follows Roman (O'Brien), an identical twin who very recently lost his brother, Rocky (also played dutifully by O'Brien). Our story begins when Roman meets Dennis (Sweeney) at a group therapy session for the newly twinless, and the two quickly strike up an unlikely bond, both trying to pull themselves from the brink of their respective misery. Roman is categorically a himbo: He's handsome, slightly boneheaded, as heterosexual as they come (complete with a profound misunderstanding of homosexuality, despite the fact that his dead brother was gay), and a man whose new grievance-stricken struggle with life is only mounted onto his preexisting struggle with what to do with it. Dennis is the opposite; smaller in stature, gay, and socially inept, with a nihilistic sarcasm so deadpan that it often masks his sincerity. He has gone through life assessing more than participating, but not always by choice, which has led to a suffocating mix of adult loneliness, resentment, and quirk. When the two first meet at the therapy session (hilariously led by Tasha Smith in a lovely cameo), Roman's first words to Dennis are a warning: The cookie that Dennis takes from the sad snack table “tastes like balls.”

“I like balls,” Dennis responds with his characteristic wit, before shoving the cookie in his mouth.

Twinless excels at detailing just how easily (and randomly) relationships can be forged and trust can be made and broken, especially amid suffering. Roman is often pegged throughout the movie as “not the brightest tool in the shed” (one of the movie's running gags is about how he often gets idioms wrong), and yet it's easy to understand how quickly and easily he takes Dennis in as his only trusted friend during the most difficult period of his life. This is all in spite of the growing sense that, from the outside, it is plain to see that Dennis isn't always telling the truth—or even, as it turns out, really grieving.

Twinless is a black-comedy psychological drama. But it's not quite as dark as the trailer seems to suggest, with its heavy implications of a major twist along the lines of Dennis killing Rocky or lying about having a twin. (Let this be your final warning: If you have a moral opposition to spoilers, stop reading now!) Only one of these two things ends up being true. In reality, Dennis had a one-night stand with Rocky (this is the leaked gay sex scene), which left Dennis—whose loneliness makes him quick to obsession—enamored with the man. When Rocky didn't return his calls after that one night together, Dennis angrily confronted the object of his obsession on the street. Rocky stepped closer to Dennis, stopping in the middle of the road to respond. However, before Rocky could say anything, a car sped by and hit him, resulting in his death. Dennis, who is obsessed with the concept of identical twins, saw Roman at Rocky's funeral (to which Dennis wore what I can only describe as, to borrow from internet speaking, the most “ fuck-ass wig ” I have ever seen). That kickedstarted Dennis' new infatuation, leading him to follow Roman around and then befriend him under the false pretenses of also having lost a twin.

If all this sounds a little hokey, well, it is. But, despite the suspension of disbelief required to buy into Twinless ' plot, the film is still gratifying. Sweeney and O'Brien play incredibly well off each other, upholding the sweet-spot sardonic tone needed to carry the movie. The film's structure is a wonderful surprise as well. In a more classic thriller, the big twist would come before the third act. Here, though, we find out the truth about Dennis' relationship with Rocky and his subsequent lies a mother 20 minutes in, and it is at that point that the title card for the movie finally rolls. What follows, then, is not the twisty-turny thriller the trailer seems to promise, but something closer to a character study. We relive the days we've seen Roman struggle through in those opening minutes, only from Dennis' perspective. Those minutes carry a certain level of insanity: At one point, Dennis Photoshops childhood photos of himself to make it appear like he has an identical twin. But Dennis' point of view on their budding friendship also carries a touching warmth, like when Roman calls Dennis asking to go grocery shopping after having something of a breakdown, and Dennis, currently unloading the fresh groceries that he just bought while talking on the phone, responds, “I've been meaning to go to the store.” Their relationship and the untruths that form it are not dark or malicious so much as sad and even pathetic.