2022 Directed by Riley Stearns
A terminally ill woman opts for a cloning procedure to ease her loss on her friends and family. When she makes a miraculous recovery, her attempts to have her clone decommissioned fail and lead to a court-mandated duel to the death.
Karen Gillan Aaron Paul Beulah Koale Theo James Elina Jackson Maija Paunio Rea Lest Sanna-June Hyde Kris Gummerus Nico Siekkinen Jamie Siekkinen Elsa Saisio Remu Valisaari Minea Valisaari Amira Khalifa Andrei Alén Aram Tertzakian Darren McStay Rasmus Blomqvist Katariina Havukainen Riley Stearns Yûko Takeda Tiia Ennala Marketta Tikkanen Paul Brown Robert Enckell Sophia Heikkilä Irmeli-Unelma Hyde Leslie Hyde Show All…
Really fucking good!! Very happy I got the benefit of watching this without having seen a trailer or having even a hint of what to expect and I want to refrain from writing too much to give everyone else the same courtesy but man, what a film. Karen sinks into Riley’s style so well, Emma Ruth Rundle’s score is tense and perfectly deployed, and the tone is such a delicate balance of sad and funny that it’s impressive. Had a great time watching this as we drank Bloody Marys in my friend’s living room before she taught Cheyenne to spin a knife in dangerously close quarters and I am excited to hopefully see this with a crowd one day.
Even better the second time around. What a tight fucking screenplay! All of the videos and screen details we get are such hilarious little accents to this world. Both times I watched this, I've found myself bowled over by the phrase "confirmed haunted house" in an early video description. Very thankful Riley asked me to moderate the Q&A with him after this film at the Drafthouse tonight, but if he thinks that's going to stop me from one day bugging him with all my several technical questions about the making of this film, he's got another thing coming.
A dry-as-hell dark comedy set in a retro future where the terminally ill are allowed to replace themselves with their own clones — a decision that can only be undone by fighting their doppelgänger to the death on live TV — Riley Stearns’ “Dual” may have been conceived prior to the pandemic, but any film that so wickedly contrasts the banality of living against the urgency of survival is bound to hit a little harder after two years of lockdowns.
Which isn’t to suggest that “Dual” wouldn’t have been bruising enough on its own. Stearns didn’t pull any punches in “Faults” or ease up on his kicks in “The Art of Self-Defense,” and that brutal followthrough proves doubly satisfying throughout…
Wow. Loved this movie. A darkly comedic, slow-burn thriller in the spirit of Yorgos Lanthimos. Grabs you from the first scene and does not let go.
Karen Gillan is perfect.
👌🏻62%
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A woman opts for a cloning procedure after she receives a terminal diagnosis but when she recovers her attempts to have her clone decommissioned fail, leading to a court-mandated duel to the death.
Sundance 2022 | Movie #4
Riley Stearns, director of The Art of Self-Defense, is a filmmaker to get excited about. His way of handling characters and their awkward characteristics is fantastic, and the relationships formed within his films are fluid and natural. In Dual, he is taking on something original, even after just seeing Swan Song last year. While the film does manage to provide a few great character moments, and certain thought-provoking ideas, the final product feels…
Karen Gillan really tried to kill Karen Gillan because of copyright infringement. Clones are people t(w)oo you know
A love it or hate it type of movie. As you can tell I loved it. Ambitious as fuck man, was such a pleasure going in blind. I hope the trailers keep it vague because this was a wild wild ride.
Sundance Watch #7
Damn Riley Stearns is off to an impressive start to his career. I bought a ticket to this because I enjoyed The Art of Self Defense & his follow-up did not disappoint. Very similar vibe. Reminded me some a lot of Devs, some of Squid Game, & a little bit of Homecoming. Gillan gave such a strong performance too. Yet another great movie title as well.
Sundance 2022 — Film #7
A genre-swerving ride reminiscent of Yorgos Lanthimos, Dual mirrors many of his techniques, but unfortunately, fails to mirror any of the hair-rising chill Lanthimos has mastered to perfection. Its premise is as simple as it is complicated: Sarah, a young woman who is diagnosed with terminal illness, commissions a cloned version of herself who will keep her family company once she has passed away—at least that’s the plan. When she suddenly recovers and isn’t in danger of dying any time soon, however, her double has already created her own life, refusing to be decommissioned. In this dystopian world, the two must then duel to the death.
With Dual, writer-director Riley Stearns creates a movie that deviates from one…
The dry, dark, absurdist humor of Dual is very much my shit. Had a lot of good laughs with this one. The bleakness of the whole thing started to hit me after. Will be watching everything Riley Stearns makes forever.
