The movie “Twinless,” which recently debuted to critical praise at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, proved to be a favorite with audiences as well, winning one of the major awards at this year’s festival.
As announced today, “Twinless” won the Sundance audience award for a U.S. dramatic film. Its star, Dylan O’Brien was also honored, with the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting.
“Twinless,” which filmed in and around Portland in 2024, is written and directed by James Sweeney, who also costars. In a dual role, O’Brien plays twin brothers. As the Sundance program says, O’Brien and Sweeney play two young men who “meet in a twin bereavement support group and form an unlikely bromance.”
The film, as the program says, is a “bittersweet tale of trauma-bonding friendship is a smart comedy willing to confront themes like loss, loneliness, and codependency head-on. Sweeney scripts a slippery narrative to mirror his emotionally damaged characters as they struggle for connection, revealing painful personal truths along the way.”
The acting award is the latest career highlight for O’Brien, who first came to attention for roles in the “Teen Wolf” TV series and “The Maze Runner” movie trilogy. O’Brien has also appeared in the Taylor Swift-directed short film inspired by her song, “All Too Well”; and the movies “Ponyboi,” and “Saturday Night,” in which O’Brien plays Dan Aykroyd.
As Variety reports, other top winners at the 2025 Sundance festival include the satire “Atropia,” documentaries “Seeds” and “Cutting Through the Rocks,” and more.
The Festival Favorite Award will be announced on Sunday, Feb. 2.
— Kristi Turnquist covers features and entertainment. Reach her at 503-221-8227, kturnquist@oregonian.com and @Kristiturnquist and https://bsky.app/profile/kristiturnquist.bsky.social
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