By GRACE DETWILER
Starring Karen Gillan, Aaron Paul, Beulah Koale
Written and Directed by Riley Stearns
In science-fiction or speculative fiction, alternate and future realities are portrayed in order to uncover fundamental truths about human nature – or truths about how humans interact with their nature. It is no wonder then, that our sci-fi narratives are rife with stories about the horrors of genetic engineering. In the tradition of an episode of Black Mirror or even The Twilight Zone, Riley Stearns’ DUAL employs the ever-popular question of human cloning in an unusual way: what if the terminally ill could replace themselves with a clone in order to spare loved ones the grief of their loss?
Upon becoming ill with a mysterious but life-threatening illness, DUAL’s Sarah (Karan Gillian; Doctor Who, Guardians Of The Galaxy) chooses to do just that. Dreading the toll her death would take on her distant boyfriend (Beulah Koale) and estranged mother (Maija Paunio), Sarah elects to undergo an exclusive cloning procedure offered to the dying. What she fears most, it seems, is inconveniencing those around her with her death. The resulting human being, ‘Sarah’s Double,’ is then required to shadow her in her final days. Sarah’s Double must learn to be Sarah. Unexpectedly, however, Sarah makes a miraculous recovery. What can she do now that her mother and boyfriend both prefer her clone over her? When her clone fights the legality of being decommissioned, Sarah must engage in a televised fight to the death which will determine which version of ‘Sarah’ gets to live out the rest of ‘Sarah’s life.’
Akin to Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Lobster, DUAL is a dry and icy black comedy with undertones of philosophical horror and dystopian satire. The absurdity of facing one’s own impending death is a subject in which Stearns finds a great deal of material for both comedy and horror, while still staying true to the film’s deeper message about a human being’s unshakable will to live: the survival instinct. The impending fight to the death is first detailed to us in a cold open starring Theo James (Divergent) as both ‘Robert’ and ‘Robert’s Double.’ The duel of the Roberts takes place on a football field – complete with announcers, spectators, and a table bearing five weapons for each combatant. Sarah watches a recording of Robert’s duel at the behest of her physical trainer played by Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), who lends a particularly entertaining supporting performance to the already talented cast.
Speaking of talent, I would be remiss not to mention Karen Gillian herself, who carries the majority of the DUAL’s 95-minute runtime with ease. As her stint playing Amy Pond on Doctor Who made clear, Gillian is an actress particularly well suited to the science-fiction genre. We can only hope to see more of her in horror flicks to come. In DUAL, Gillian strikes a perfect balance of dry comic delivery and extreme emotional intensity throughout the twists and turns of Stearns’ screenplay. Her portrayals of both Sarah and Sarah’s Double are markedly different and distinct, and she forces the viewer to empathize with the two versions of her character even as they battle one another for survival.
It is challenging to say what makes DUAL great without spoiling most of the film’s central conceits. Going into a viewing, however, know that you are safe in Riley Stearns’ more-than-capable hands as both writer and director. The wordplay of ‘dual’ follows the title into the visual language of the film as well, with cinematography that capitalizes on symmetry and doubling. With only a few missteps in perfecting its unusual tone, DUAL is worthy of a trip to the theater this weekend. Don’t miss this newest feature from the writer/director of The Art of Self-Defense (2019).
DUAL is showing in theaters as of today, April 15, 2022.
