Riley Stearns returns to Sundance with a SciFi Thriller built on human cloning and word play. The Writer/Director’s new film stars Karen Gillan playing two parts, or ‘Dual’ roles.
If puns and double meanings make BOTH of your eyes roll, stop reading now. If you’re not afraid of the deeper meaning, don’t think twice! Keep reading!
The Plot – Dual
Sarah is dying, and she doesn’t know it, yet.
In the often cited ‘not too distant future’, Sarah, played by Karen Gillan, is living a life that is far from extraordinary. Getting her meals from a Drive-Thru, half heartedly watching adult videos on her laptop, and video calls with a boyfriend who is quickly losing interest; she’s coasting through her existence.
After a Lunch date with her Mother leaves Sarah vomiting blood, the doctor’s diagnosis is as swift as it is brutal. You’re dying, you don’t have much time, and make your plans now. Her doctor suggests human cloning. Virtually perfect clones, available in about an hour.
Meant to replace you when you’re dying an untimely death, the clone is virtually identical in every way. And upon your death, the clone legally inherits all of your personal assets.
The Duel
Dual begins with a televised fight to the death. Theo James, of Divergent fame, lines up on a Football field to face his opponent, television cameras covering the action. Similar to Divergent or The Hunger Games, you get a choice of weapons, and go for it. After a brief, but tense battle, Theo James’ character wins; until the camera pans over to reveal that Theo James’ character is also the loser.
Human cloning is real, but only one being at a time can live your life. When the original doesn’t die, and the Double refuses to be ‘decommissioned’; the original and the double must fight a ‘Duel’ to the death, to determine who will live their life. (Even more word play! Gotta love it!)
10 Months Later
Somehow, Sarah isn’t dying after all. Whatever her Stomach ailment was is gone, and she has a clear bill of health. However, Sarah’s Double has worked perfectly, and now, Peter, played by Beulah Koale, and Sarah’s Mom, played by Maija Paunio, seem to prefer the duplicate Sarah to the original.
Sarah’s Double has more energy, keeps herself in better physical fitness, and seems to take more joy in all aspects of life. Peter’s relationship with Sarah’s Double has replaced his relationship with Sarah. Sarah’s Mom even prefers the company of Sarah’s Double to her own flesh and blood.
As Sarah finds out she’s going to live, she tries to end Sarah’s Double. But, after living Sarah’s life for almost a year, Sarah’s Double refuses to give up her control on Sarah’s life.
Sarah’s Double refuses to be ‘Decommissioned’, and files a legal proceeding to fight for life. But, since only one Sarah can legally be alive or have her rights; the original and the double must fight. They must Duel to the death with their Dual persona. Double the combat, double the meaning; but tragically, no ‘Double Mint Gum’.
The Good – Dual
Flat Affect
I don’t know if it is an official subgenre in British Cinema, or if I just happened to see it in British films more than once; but ‘Dual’ tells this rather elevated story in the near future with a nearly Flat Affect.
Most of the characters, most of the time; display a personality of logic and observation, but almost no emotion. The characters in Dual display very little or no emotion, even when acknowledging extreme circumstances. They remain calm, observational, and logical; but are largely devoid of normal human emotion.
Going beyond simply keeping a ‘stiff upper lip’, I’ve seen this flat affect in other British Science Fiction films like ‘The Lobster’ and ‘Under The Skin’, where all or most of the characters appear emotionally numb to any or all situations. Characters often express logical or situational awareness of their situations, but don’t freak out over the situations they are in.
Sarah reacts matter of factly to being told she is going to die, and spends most of the film acting as if the situation she is in is no more out of the ordinary than going to the dentist. Only two or three times does she express what could be considered a normal human emotion, and only then when the emotions boil over.
The Flat Affect does wonders for showing how resilient people can be in adjusting to difficult realities, or ‘New Normals’. At the same time, or ‘dually’; it shows familiar situations that are slightly off, and gives a sense of unease that the audience can feel over all the emotionless faces.
Two Roles
This is not the first time Karen Gillan has played two roles in a scene (think Avengers: Endgame); but this is a film that relies on her ability to play both versions of Sarah off of each other in the same scene. A huge challenge for any actress, Gillan masters not just the character arcs and performances of each Sarah, but does an amazing job of timing how the scenes go as well. Many of the key scenes are done with both of her performances are done on the same screen at the same time.
We also get two Sarahs on two paths. The original Sarah gets her mojo back training with Trent, played by Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul. Besides training Sarah for combat, Trent also teaches Sarah how to enjoy life again and how to fight for herself.
We also see Sarah’s Double slowly succumb to boredom and sloth, where the original Sarah was to start the film. Both story arcs show off Karen Gillan’s range as a performer and how far each Sarah has to come.
The Bad – Duel
Overall, Dual lacks any major faults from Writer/Director Riley Stearns.
The Review – Dual
For being Written and Directed by an American, starring an Irish Woman, a love interest from New Zealand of Somoan descent, and filmed in Finland, ‘Dual’ feels a lot like a British movie.
We get a relatively grounded look at what life might be like if we had the ability to clone human beings, and the resulting effects that would have on our laws and our culture.
Karen Gillan’s dual performances as both Sarah’s gives us a fun look at what could happen if medical technology could create replacement people for the sick and dying.
Aaron Paul’s performance as Trent gives us the most human performance of any character in this film, as a man in tune with humanity, who trains people to fight for their humanity.
Without getting bogged down in extraneous detail, but giving just enough to flush out the story; Riley Stearns tells a rather superlative story with an emotional detachment. The lack of emotion and rather flat affectation of the culture shows just how mundane any technological advances are in this world. More importantly, we see just how flat Sarah is emotionally when not fighting for her own life.
This largely joyless world does not create a joyless film, however. Karen Gillan’s performance strongly anchors this film, but Dual feels more like an episode of ‘The Outer Limits’ than a stand alone feature film.
Worth watching, but not going to knock your socks off.
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Karen Gillan stars as 'Sarah' and her human clone fighting for her right to live in the near future in 'Dual', brought to us by Writer/Director Riley Stearns.