When Sarah (Karen Gillan) discovers she has a terminal disease she opts to have a clone of herself made to take over when she dies. However when she makes an unexpected recovery the clone refuses to be decommissioned and exercises her right to request a duel to the death. 

Sarah’s clone takes over her life. Her mother (Maija Paunio) and boyfriend (Beulah Koale) both prefer her and eventually the original Sarah moves out. Seeking out a trainer (Aaron Paul) to teach her how to fight she then focuses on the day of her duel. 

Writer/director Riley Stearns previous film The Art Of Self Defence was a dark comedy that skewered the idea of masculinity using stilted, on the nose dialogue. Dual uses the exact same speech patterns but here the only thing that the film seems interested in is the joke that the words dual and duel are pronounced the same way. The result is bizarre and tedious. 

The film specifically eschews any real exploration of emotion. All the dialogue is stilted and stating the obvious, but given this is seemingly on purpose as per his previous film you have to assume Stearns wanted to do this. When Sarah meets with her doctor, her lawyer or her trainer they all speak in robotic mannerisms. There is a moment later in the film when Sarah and her double go to a support group and they have to write a letter to each other. But as we reach the moment the clone is about to read the letter the film cuts away and we hear the real Sarah talking about what was said afterwards. It is as though there is a joke buried in here about the lack of emotion.

The film also features a promotional video for cloning and a horror movie that is watched and both of these also feature horrendously wooden acting and poor production values. It is like the joke for the whole thing is that the creation of something reduces the quality of it. 

Whatever the purpose the outcome is mostly unenjoyable and frustrating. I would thoroughly recommend the similarly themed film Swan Song that focuses on the subject of identity in a much better dramatic way.