A woman opts for a cloning procedure after she receives a terminal diagnosis, but when she recovers, her attempts to have her clone decommissioned fail, leading to a court-mandated duel to the death.
Director Riley Stearns makes films that are an acquired taste. I remember seeing “The Art of Self-Defense” in 2019 because I had been impressed by the trailer but left the theater wholly disappointed. Stearns tried to incorporate everything and the kitchen sink into his movie but wound up taking on more than he could handle. It was almost as if he wanted to integrate multiple genres in his film but couldn’t concentrate on just one, so everything fell apart.
“Dual” is presented as science fiction and thankfully keeps within the confines of that one genre, but even that one positive doesn’t equate to a good moviegoing experience. Karen Gillan plays Sarah, an alcoholic in a lifeless relationship with her boyfriend Peter (Beulah Koale). When she learns she has a terminal illness and doesn’t have long to live, she decides to clone herself so Peter and her mother can still have a version of her in their lives.
She dubs her clone “Sarah’s Double,” and over the next ten months, both women live together with Sarah telling her everything from her favorite foods, clothes, music, and sexual positions, but on a visit to her doctor, she is told that she is in complete remission and is not dying anymore. When she chooses to have her clone decommissioned so she can return to normal, Peter refuses to allow it as he prefers her clone over her, as does her mother. The clone requests to stay alive, so the only way to resolve the issue is in a publicized duel to the death, and whoever wins gets to live Sarah’s life. Now both women must prepare for the inevitable showdown precisely one year away.
All of the characters in “Dual” appear to be disconnected from their reality and each other. Everyone speaks with a monotonous inflection, enunciating every single word and never appearing to be happy, even when a situation warrants it. Initially, I thought the precise articulation of every word and the constant monotone delivery was a way of identifying the clones from the humans, but it appears it is just lazy screenwriting. It serves no purpose other than to irritate the viewer, causing them to wonder what the hell is going on. Sarah is so unlikable that when she receives her terminal diagnosis, we feel absolutely nothing for her, and maybe that was the whole point, to put ourselves in the character’s shoes, but by doing so, I just wanted to off myself, so I wouldn’t have to exist in the same universe.
Sarah eventually enlists the guidance of Trent (Aaron Paul), a self-defense instructor who helps improve her physical and mental abilities, and we see her gradually becoming more assertive in all aspects of her life. As the date for her duel fast approaches, a change of heart in Sarah’s clone forces both women to meet, resulting in an abrupt change of heart, but one that will change both of their lives forever.
“Dual” was shot entirely in Finland, and its thick woodland terrain makes for a refreshing locale, a character in and of itself. Sadly, it is the only aspect of the film that remains intact. I like Karen Gillan and Aaron Paul, but they are both wasted here in roles that robots could have played, and probably to better effect, no offense to the actors, but toward writer/director Riley Stearns, who continues his winning streak of depressing, lamentable films that leave their viewers in a constant state of disorientation, asking aloud, “What have I done to deserve this?” Maybe his next feature will be more upbeat and optimistic but based on his past works, probably not.
Available on Blu-ray™ and DVD July 19th
