Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: DUAL [Sundance Film Festival 2022 - Virtual]

Karen Gillan in terms of picking genre pieces is selecting some interesting elements as she continues in her career. Her performance in "Gunpowder Milkshake" perfectly reflected her character: cold, calculated with a dry sense of humor. "Dual" is a different monster but there is no real empathy that hits because it is a similar performance but in a movie that requires something different. Gillans's rapid fire delivery has a rhythm to it but here it is distracting and off putting. This might be a fault of direction but it is also on the side of the actor as well. The progression on both sides of the coin of the character seems inherently robotic....even the cries seem programmed. Now while this aesthetic can paint to certain character traits it might speak to a lack of range.

Granted it seems the director does integrate this into Aaron Paul's character in terms of certain textures of training but it simply off balances the movie. It is hard to speak of the gist of the movie without giving anything away but it is an ode to existence bathed in the ironic. The character quirks are there but, no offense to Gillan, the character comes off cold and uninteresting. The aspect of who is better and who isn't becomes irrelevant unfortunately. Something like "Swan Song" approached this material in a much different context but had the right idea. You can add humor and certain action (like "Dual" did) and have it still work. "Dual" though, despite what it wants to be, barely does. Shot in Finland, it does have a slightly out of time feel but the opening scene paints of what it could have been. Again it comes back to acting and directing choices here. "Dual" has the concept and story but the delivery misses the mark. C-

By Tim Wassberg