Sundance 2022 premiere– Writer/director Riley Stearns‘ Dual has an interesting premise. If you found out you were terminally ill, would you create a double of yourself to spare your family and friends the heartache of losing you? Ultimately, the film’s protagonist, Sarah (Karen Gillan), chooses to clone herself. But she soon learns that her decision comes with severe consequences in this imaginative sci-fi thriller.

The film hooks from the get-go, opening with a televised dual between an original and a copy. Arrows fly before a live TV audience, but there could only be one winner. Initially, at least, Sarah seems unaware of the potential consequences of creating a copy of herself. When she starts puking blood and is given little time to live, a clone seems like a good idea. Besides, things in her life aren’t that great. Her mother (Maija Paunio) is suffocating. Her boyfriend, Peter (Beulah Koale), is falling out of love. Most of their time together is primarily regulated to Zoom-like calls because he’s away “on business.”

Eventually, though, Sarah realizes that she doesn’t want to die. The problem is that the copy has started to enjoy her life, initially, at least. Peter and mom start to like the clone more, too. She’s a sexier, edgier version. However, both can’t live at the same time, hence the court-mandated dual to the death. Sarah starts training with Trent (Aaron Paul) in hopes of surviving. Watching Sarah grow, encouraged by Trent, is a highlight.

All of the performances here are good, but Gillan especially shines, both as the original and copy. She has so many dry, deadpans lines that provide some much-needed humor to an otherwise fairly weighty movie. This is her film, through and through, and she carries it. Further, the film has more than one clever plot twist, and the pacing is on-point. Kudos to Stearns, who really crafted a tight script.

While this is a sci-fi film, the narrative is very much rooted in reality, in the experience of living. Suddenly, Sarah realizes she wants to survive. Post-Peter, she’s carved out a new life for herself, one she starts to enjoy. The clone, meanwhile, learns that inhabiting someone else’s life ain’t all it’s cracked up to me. She tires of both mom and Peter. She wants to do her own thing, and like Sarah, she has some regrets that the whole process ever happened. The evolution of these characters is really good, all leading to a well-crafted final act.

While clever and entertaining, Dual is also surprising and funny. This is an inventive sci-fi film grounded in very real human emotions. It has pitch-perfect writing and some important themes. Maybe our lives aren’t so bad after all. This is a strong third feature by Stearns, a director to keep an eye on.

Dual premiered on January 22 at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.

8 Out of 10