Dual
After surviving a terminal diagnosis, a detached woman must train to defeat the clone legally chosen to replace her.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- deadpan
- sardonic
- detached
- offbeat movie night
- indie sci fi night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film’s high-concept premise and Karen Gillan’s committed performance compelling, while viewing its severe deadpan satire and limited world-building as uneven.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Sarah and the surrounding institutions respond to terminal illness, cloning, and a duel with deliberately muted affect and bureaucratic seriousness.
Sarah’s clone occupies the role she expected to reclaim, turning personal identity into a legal and physical dispute.
The world presents cloning alongside slide projectors, dial tones, and mundane bureaucratic procedures rather than elaborate technological spectacle.
The failed decommissioning process culminates in a court-mandated duel governed by institutional procedure.
Films like Dual, and why
The Lobster
deadpan science fiction satire about identity and mortality
Sorry to Bother You
stylized dystopian comedy with emotionally detached characters and absurd social rules
Never Let Me Go
quietly unsettling identity-replacement premise with existential themes
Ex Machina
darkly comic near-future thriller centered on bodily and personal autonomy
Movie Details
- Director
- Riley Stearns
- Release Date
- 2022-03-18
- Runtime
- 95 min
- Rating
- 6.0 / 10 (405)
Cast
- Karen Gillan
- Aaron Paul
- Beulah Koale
- Theo James
- Elina Jackson
- Maija Paunio
- Rea Lest-Liik
- Sanna-June Hyde
- Kris Gummerus
- Nico Siekkinen
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Sundance Now
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Dual about?
- After surviving a terminal diagnosis, a detached woman must train to defeat the clone legally chosen to replace her.
- What is Dual like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Dual as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Dual violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Dual as moderate.
- What did critics think of Dual?
- Critics broadly found the film’s high-concept premise and Karen Gillan’s committed performance compelling, while viewing its severe deadpan satire and limited world-building as uneven.
- Which films are like Dual?
- Films with a similar feel include The Lobster, Sorry to Bother You, Never Let Me Go, and Ex Machina.
- How long is Dual?
- Dual runs 95 minutes.
- Where can I watch Dual?
- In United States, Dual streams on Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Sundance Now.
