Dual (2022)
80%RT Audience Score:
Awards & Nominations: 1 nomination
Dual brings writer-director Riley Stearns’ signature deadpan style to bear on a smart sci-fi comedy that’s well-led by Karen Gillan in double roles.
Dual” is a movie that will make you question your own psyche, but not in a scary way. Karen Gillan’s performance as the two Sarahs is so subtle yet surprising that you’ll be left wondering if you have a doppelganger out there too. The film has its flaws, like not fully developing its ideas, but it’s still worth a watch for the dyspeptic laughs and deadpan humor. Plus, who doesn’t love a good clone story that doesn’t involve extravagant clone wars?
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
RLJE Films
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Tampere, Finland
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for violent content, some sexual content, language and graphic nudity
Year of Release
2022
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 34m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Apr 15, 2022 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 20, 2022
Genre(s)
Sci-fi/Comedy
Keyword(s)
Karen Gillan, Aaron Paul, Beulah Koale, Theo James, Elina Jackson, Maija Paunio, Riley Stearns, Nate Bolotin, Maxime Cottray, Lee Kim, Nick Spicer, Aram Tertzakian, sci-fi, comedy, mystery, thriller, cloning, death, court-mandated duel, training, terminal diagnosis, decommissioned, box office, budget, R rating, violent content, graphic nudity, sexual content, language, reviewed by Oliver Jones, Tim Cogshell, Tasha Robinson, Sheila O’Malley, Robert Abele, Elizabeth Weitzman, directed by Riley Stearns, written by Riley Stearns, produced by Nate Bolotin, Maxime Cottray, Lee Kim, Nick Spicer, Riley Stearns, Aram Tertzakian
Worldwide gross: $185,212
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $185,212
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,945
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 20,198
US/Canada gross: $185,212
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $185,212
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,558
US/Canada opening weekend: $118,254
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $118,254
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,876
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): 4500000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $4,500,000
Production budget ranking: 1,928
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $2,423,250
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$6,738,038
ROI to date (est.): -97%
ROI ranking: 2,005
Aaron Paul – Trent
Beulah Koale – Peter
Theo James – Robert Michaels
Elina Jackson – Official with Flags
Maija Paunio – Sarah’s Mother
Nate Bolotin – Producer
Maxime Cottray – Producer
Lee Kim – Producer
Nick Spicer – Producer
Riley Stearns – Producer, Writer, Director
Aram Tertzakian – Producer
Director(s)
Riley Stearns
Writer(s)
Riley Stearns
Producer(s)
Nate Bolotin, Maxime Cottray, Lee Kim, Nick Spicer, Riley Stearns, Aram Tertzakian
Film Festivals
Sundance
Awards & Nominations
1 nomination
Academy Awards
All Critics (139) | Top Critics (22) | Fresh (99) | Rotten (40)
Gillan imbues the two Sarahs with subtle physical differences that are consistently surprising.
April 20, 2022 | Rating: 2.5/4
Oliver Jones
Observer
TOP CRITIC
It is very clever, interesting, and requires a real deep dive into one’s own psychological dynamic.
April 19, 2022
Tim Cogshell
FilmWeek (KPCC – NPR Los Angeles)
TOP CRITIC
It’s a strange and memorable film with a unique voice and a unique perspective, and that alone makes it worth seeking out.
April 15, 2022
Tasha Robinson
Polygon
TOP CRITIC
The film insists on avoiding the deeper psychological and even existential implications of its own tale, implications present in the narrative but somehow skipped over or ignored.
April 15, 2022 | Rating: 2/4
Sheila O’Malley
RogerEbert.com
TOP CRITIC
A glimpse inside a filmmaker’s idea lab is not necessarily the same thing as a film, which puts Riley Stearns’ low-key future satire “Dual” in a frustrating position when there’s so much going for it but so little that lands effectively.
April 15, 2022
Robert Abele
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
Stearns first two movies earned their adoration the hard way, challenging audiences with pitch-black humor and an off-kilter tone. While “Dual” goes for the jugular as well, it doesnt cut nearly as deep.
April 14, 2022
Elizabeth Weitzman
TheWrap
TOP CRITIC
I won’t give Dual a free pass because it doesn’t develop the ideas it introduces well enough. But if your faith in humankind has taken a beating in the last few weeks, some dyspeptic laughs at the expense of the human condition might feel just right.
June 30, 2022 | Rating: 3/5
Jorge Ignacio Castillo
Planet S Magazine
Similar to Stearns’ previous “The Art of Self-Defense,” there’s plenty of deadpan humor, along with a strong performance from Gillan, but it is on the lazy side with developing characters and the world for which it’s based.
June 27, 2022 | Rating: 6/10
Ema Sasic
Next Best Picture
What I enjoyed most about this film was Karen’s eccentric performance. Her deadpan bluntness and awkward social mannerisms make this character memorable.
June 22, 2022 | Rating: 3/4
Rosalie Kicks
MovieJawn
Like the director’s previous film “The Art of Self-Defense”, Dual has us enter a world that’s just slightly off-kilter and makes us see the truth that hides underneath our typical veneer. Karen Gilen delivers a fantastic double performance to boot.
June 22, 2022
Jessie Gender
Jessie Gender YouTube Channel
With Dual, the writer/director’s trademark sensibilities don’t quite gel together.
June 17, 2022
Matt Conway
Battle Royale With Cheese
Forgoing the potential for extravagant clone wars, Stearns plays the ensuing tale as a poker-faced comedy of emotional dysfunction.
June 16, 2022 | Rating: 3/5
Kevin Harley
Radio Times…
Plot
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.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Karen Gillan delivers a fantastic double performance in Dual, playing two same-but-different versions of the main character.
Riley-Stearns.jpg
