Sean Parker
Let me warn you about a Dual before we go any further. Whether you will enjoy the dry-witted horror-comedy is a little dependent on what your feelings are about Yorgos Lanthimos’ films The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer. Some love them, and others hate them. If you like movies, especially like The Lobster, Riley Stearns’ Dual acts as a spiritual successor with similar dystopian themes and sharp, clinical, near-emotionless dialogue from the start.
Dual’s hook is immediately focused, opening on Theo James fighting for his life. I hadn’t read too much about the movie ahead of time. I like going into a film a bit in the dark, knowing only that it would have doppelganger elements like Enemy or The Double. I was immediately enthralled and utterly clueless about what was happening, especially as you can see an audience and camera in the background, focused on the violence. As this fight with a faceless man concludes, the reveal of a mirror image of James lays lifeless on the ground. A moderator approaches and asks whether the victor is the original or their double, clarifying that this duel is an accepted contest in this freshly disturbing Hunger Games-ready future. Obviously, we’re going to see the film’s protagonist, Sarah (Gunpowder Milkshake‘s Karen Gillan), enter this kind of contest. Still, without knowing what conceived the early duel, you become curious about the rules of a contemporary world that would allow this.
Sarah’s story begins in her depressing apartment with messages from her suffocating mother (Maija Paunio). She attempts to connect with her long-distance boyfriend, Peter (Shadow in the Cloud‘s Beulah Koale), who is clearly losing interest. A dread-fueled nightmare sees Sarah face-off with her guilt assigning mother, ending with her regurgitating pennies and transferring their metallic taste by waking up to blood-soaked pillows and sheets. A doctor’s visit reveals Sarah has a rare disease and doesn’t have long to live. The doctor refers her to a facility that clones the terminally ill so their families don’t suffer.
Despondency in the face of serious storytelling gives Dual a very morose and dry sense of humor. Sarah’s visits to the doctor’s office are hilarious given the doctor’s ineptitude toward confidentiality, percentages, and her inability to explain Sarah’s situation. Gillan doesn’t always fit the unemotional schema of Dual, striving for emotional containment though occasionally delivering the dialogue flatter than intended. I think it’s incredibly challenging for any actor to achieve this feat at one hundred percent. Acting stoically unaffected goes against everything an actor is taught. Except for the very few deliveries where this is noticeable, Gillan remains an effectual protagonist and antagonist. For much of the movie, she’s literally acting beside herself.
Sarah hesitantly decides to proceed with the cloning, likely out of the guilt instilled by her mother and a way to see her boyfriend again by preparing her clone, plainly named Sarah’s Double, to replace her after her death. Sarah’s Double appears as a better version and instantly more appealing to the people in her life. When Sarah finds out that she was misdiagnosed and wants her life back, Sarah’s Double initiates a government-sanctioned duel to the death, an unexpected consequence of Sarah’s survival.
Bottles of alcohol are shown prominently throughout the film, providing a symbolic notion of self-destruction. Though it isn’t made apparent at any point in Dual, the movie has markers regarding the hard road of recovery. When Sarah decides to clone herself, it acts as an internal battle in deciding to continue on a path toward death. Sarah’s Double is far more fun and charming with Peter, and her high functionality gets her through visits with her mother, causing Sarah to recognize she has a problem. When Sarah’s prognosis is reversed, she chooses to fight to get her life back.
Like Stearns’ last film, The Art of Self-Defense, we see a protagonist looking to protect themselves. Sarah trains with duel specialist Trent (Breaking Bad‘s Aaron Paul) who acts as a sensei with the skills to aid her in the battle for her life, teaching Sarah to cope by telling her, “If it’s the difference between life and death, it’s ok to be boring.” Sarah does better without her double, getting healthy and making amends with Peter. After speaking with her double again, the two end up at a meeting for duel survivors, where Sarah’s Double shows Sarah the depressing reality of life after the duel.
Aaron Paul’s charisma is astounding, and even as he barely cracks a smile, he becomes a magnetic presence. The chemistry between Gillan and Paul is as emotional as the film gets because the audience can’t wait to see them together again on-screen.
The theme of Dual is that personal changes have to be made to break destructive cycles. Sarah doesn’t deal with her blatant unhappiness, never standing up for herself in imposing boundaries with her mother and afraid of the prospect of a life without her boyfriend. However, she quickly becomes bored and miserable with him as well. Even the allure of stealing her life begins to wain. Sarah’s Double becomes unsure if she even wants Sarah’s life. A line of dialogue concerning minutia arguments on choosing a movie begs the question, “How can I be with someone if we can’t even agree on the genre of film we should watch?” A question for the ages indeed.
I’m a fan of deadpan comedy, and Dual is great. It’s dark, effecting, and has a compelling narrative mired in self-loathing despair. Despite its tonal commitment to depression, it isn’t without some rich belly laughs. The horror of Dual is one of self and cyclical struggles with addiction and disparagingly bleak outlooks. Riley Stearns’ film is bold, divergent storytelling at its finest.
Dual will have one more virtual showing at the Sundance Film Festival on Jan 23, with a 24-hour window beginning at 10 AM EST.
