Set in the future, Sarah (Karen Gillian) gets the news that she has a rare disease and is going to die soon. To save her family from the pain of losing her, Sarah opts for a replacement, a cloning procedure where the terminally ill can replace themselves with a clone of their own. But Sarah makes a miraculous recovery, which creates a problem. By law, humans cannot exist for longer than the time limit of their clones. Now, Sara and her clone must eventually fight each other to death.
Written and directed by Riley Stearns, Dual is a story about survival above anything else. When we’re introduced to Sarah, we see someone who doesn’t have much interest in life. She is numb and robotic in her appearance. It’s like the dementors have sucked her soul and left the body. The only person she talks with is her boyfriend Peter (Beulah Koale), who mostly stays away from work and tries to finish their conversations quickly. Even when she gets the news of her death, she doesn't show any emotions, telling the doctor that she can’t even make herself cry. But Sarah doesn’t want Peter and her mother to suffer from grief, and that’s why she opts for the cloning procedure.
Stearns Dual keeps you engaged with an absurd sort of feeling that leaves you on edge. With her miraculous recovery, we start to see Sarah in a new light as she puts in more effort to stay alive. The director plays with the theme of persona where he switches the role of Sarah and her clone. Sarah's robotic tone becomes more and more human whereas her clone starts to immerse herself in Sarah’s shoes. The film has a very specific deadpan humor.
The humor of this movie is very specific and deadpan, similar to Stearns' previous features like Faults and The Art of Self Defense. He has a unique voice and dark humor that you can’t help but appreciate, reminiscent of Yorgos Lanthimos. You feel detached from the characters and the film's off-putting tone, but that is what Stearns is going for.
Gillian gives one of her career-best performances as two similar characters. She immerses herself fully into Sarah and her clone, especially their mannerisms and reactions which become an important factor for the jaw-dropping finale. The way she manages to gain control of Sarah's numbness is quite astonishing to witness as well as her transformation after the recovery. Her scenes with Aaron Paul, who plays the razor-sharp-focused trainer Trent, are enjoyable to watch. Especially the scene where they’re dancing.
One thing certain about life is death. You can’t escape it no matter what. Stearns taps on that feeling in his sci-fi story with a stone-faced protagonist and absurdly black humor that manages to make you laugh at its coldness. With a transformative performance by Gillian, Dual is a thrilling ride with a brilliant twist that leaves you scratching your head.
Sundance Film Festival review