DUAL is a frustrating movie, and not easy to embrace. I feel like I get the tone it's going for, and I appreciate it, but it holds me at a distance (intentionally, I'd say) and that's not a recipe for an immersive, enjoyable experience. But, it still offers a lot, and on average, I still (slightly) recommend it.
DUAL takes place in some odd future America, where cell phones and overhead projectors exist together. Where you can surf porn and do Facetime, but search engines appear to be text based. It's also a time when a remarkable technology can not only clone you, but clone you in about a hour. And your clone is, amazingly, exactly the same age as you and both knows things (like English) and doesn't know things (like what kind of food you like). But the details aren't really important or even distracting (until you sit down to write about them!). But you can only get a clone if you're going to die soon, either via a terminal illness or perhaps suicide. It's supposed to make it easier on your loved ones.
Sarah (Karen Gillan) a 30-something woman for whom life is clearly going through the motions. Regular calls with her boyfriend, whose job keeps him far away in another country. Ignoring calls from mom. And just basically going through life like an expressionless robot. Much like most of the people in the film do. This is what life is like now...clamped down emotions and a joyless series of meaningless tasks. BUT, Sarah finds out that she's got a rare and incurable terminal illness. Inexplicably, she finds herself interested in getting a clone. And then, once the clone has fairly well integrated into her life, she experiences a miraculous recovery.
This new society doesn't allow the "original" and the clone to co-exist, so they must fight a dual to the death (broadcast on live TV, of course).
Yep, that's the premise. Is this going to be an action-packed thriller? An over-the-top physical comedy. A thoughtful drama exploring ethical implications? Well, it has a tiny sprinkling of each of these, but be warned, the true tone of the movie is of bone-dry comedy. And I mean dry. As in, it took me awhile to understand that this wasn't a poorly acted effort, but a carefully calibrated black comedy. While I laughed a couple of times, it's certainly not uproarious either. Slow paced (like Sarah herself), absurd (reminded me at times of a film like THE LOBSTER) and full of unexpected turns. The film I expected to see based on the description was NOT the film I got. An existential comedy that posits that life might not be worth living.
This bleak outlook is greatly enhanced by the setting. Out of necessity, the film was shot in Finland. Thanks to the pandemic, this was the only place it really could be shot back in '21. And the low angle light, European aesthetic and the fact that most of the supporting actors are Finnish and have heavy accents makes the whole film seem as though it is taking place someplace we don't quite recognize. I'll admit it takes a bit to just embrace. When you realize director Riley Stearns clearly decided to lean in to the circumstances he had been forced in to, it's easier to accept if not love.
Gillan does interesting work here. Her face is a mask of affectlessness and makeuplessness. Bland and uninspired. She has reigned in her natural ebullience. But her clone is almost exactly like her, but just a little different too. We can always tell which is which by the very subtle differences Gillan employs. It's not Oscar-worthy acting, but it's interesting and certainly increases my appreciation for her. The rest of the cast, including an under-used Aaron Paul, is just adequate. The film focuses on Karen (and the clone) and really not much else. Her worldview is our view of the world she lives in.
As mentioned, this all moves quite slowly. Although the film barely clocks in over 90 minutes, I had to watch it in two sittings, since it felt much longer. (And I started it at 11pm.) Stearns works very hard to give us the feel of Karen's depressive state and the state of the world he has envisioned. It just isn't inherently interesting. He's too successful in plopping us into a world that is, simply, not that interested in existing.
DUAL takes place in some odd future America, where cell phones and overhead projectors exist together. Where you can surf porn and do Facetime, but search engines appear to be text based. It's also a time when a remarkable technology can not only clone you, but clone you in about a hour. And your clone is, amazingly, exactly the same age as you and both knows things (like English) and doesn't know things (like what kind of food you like). But the details aren't really important or even distracting (until you sit down to write about them!). But you can only get a clone if you're going to die soon, either via a terminal illness or perhaps suicide. It's supposed to make it easier on your loved ones.
Sarah (Karen Gillan) a 30-something woman for whom life is clearly going through the motions. Regular calls with her boyfriend, whose job keeps him far away in another country. Ignoring calls from mom. And just basically going through life like an expressionless robot. Much like most of the people in the film do. This is what life is like now...clamped down emotions and a joyless series of meaningless tasks. BUT, Sarah finds out that she's got a rare and incurable terminal illness. Inexplicably, she finds herself interested in getting a clone. And then, once the clone has fairly well integrated into her life, she experiences a miraculous recovery.
This new society doesn't allow the "original" and the clone to co-exist, so they must fight a dual to the death (broadcast on live TV, of course).
Yep, that's the premise. Is this going to be an action-packed thriller? An over-the-top physical comedy. A thoughtful drama exploring ethical implications? Well, it has a tiny sprinkling of each of these, but be warned, the true tone of the movie is of bone-dry comedy. And I mean dry. As in, it took me awhile to understand that this wasn't a poorly acted effort, but a carefully calibrated black comedy. While I laughed a couple of times, it's certainly not uproarious either. Slow paced (like Sarah herself), absurd (reminded me at times of a film like THE LOBSTER) and full of unexpected turns. The film I expected to see based on the description was NOT the film I got. An existential comedy that posits that life might not be worth living.
This bleak outlook is greatly enhanced by the setting. Out of necessity, the film was shot in Finland. Thanks to the pandemic, this was the only place it really could be shot back in '21. And the low angle light, European aesthetic and the fact that most of the supporting actors are Finnish and have heavy accents makes the whole film seem as though it is taking place someplace we don't quite recognize. I'll admit it takes a bit to just embrace. When you realize director Riley Stearns clearly decided to lean in to the circumstances he had been forced in to, it's easier to accept if not love.
Gillan does interesting work here. Her face is a mask of affectlessness and makeuplessness. Bland and uninspired. She has reigned in her natural ebullience. But her clone is almost exactly like her, but just a little different too. We can always tell which is which by the very subtle differences Gillan employs. It's not Oscar-worthy acting, but it's interesting and certainly increases my appreciation for her. The rest of the cast, including an under-used Aaron Paul, is just adequate. The film focuses on Karen (and the clone) and really not much else. Her worldview is our view of the world she lives in.
As mentioned, this all moves quite slowly. Although the film barely clocks in over 90 minutes, I had to watch it in two sittings, since it felt much longer. (And I started it at 11pm.) Stearns works very hard to give us the feel of Karen's depressive state and the state of the world he has envisioned. It just isn't inherently interesting. He's too successful in plopping us into a world that is, simply, not that interested in existing.
