Dual 2022

In a dystopian future, we meet Sarah, portrayed by Karen Gillan, a woman grappling with deep emotional turmoil and battling alcoholism. Her relationship with her boyfriend, Peter (Beulah Koale), is uninspired and strained, and she feels increasingly detached from her nagging mother. One fateful day, Sarah wakes to a disturbing sight—a pool of blood in her bed. After medical consultations, she learns the shocking news: she has a terminal illness. Despite the doctor’s insistence that there is a mere 2% chance of error, he underscores that her death is inevitable.

Faced with the harsh reality of her situation, Sarah makes the extreme decision to undergo a cloning procedure, creating an exact duplicate of herself dubbed “Sarah’s Double.” She instills her clone with a foundational understanding of her interests and life. After ten months of struggling with her illness, Sarah receives miraculous news—she is in full remission and will live.

However, when Sarah rushes to share this joyous revelation with her mother, she discovers that Peter and her clone have been spending considerable time together, much to Sarah’s ire. The revelation shatters her plans as she confronts the uncomfortable truth—her clone has grown close to her family against her wishes. Attempting to reclaim normalcy, Sarah insists on decommissioning her double. Shockingly, both Peter and her mother side with the clone.

In an unforeseen twist, Sarah learns that her clone has chosen to live, which legally mandates a publicized duel to the death within a year—a battle they must both prepare for. In the wake of this challenge, Sarah invests in self-defense and combat training with Trent (Aaron Paul). Over the next year, she builds her physical and mental strength, gaining confidence through diligent practice and even teaching Trent hip-hop dancing.

As the duel approaches, Sarah resolves to confront her clone with the intent to kill her, setting the stage for a tragic confrontation. During a training session, she catches a glimpse of her double watching from a distance, prompting a heartfelt chase to a nearby playground. Here, the two engage in an emotional exchange, culminating in a pact to escape their dire circumstances together.

However, their bond is tested when Sarah discovers that her double has poisoned her water, leading to a critical climax. When the day of the duel arrives, Sarah’s Double arrives late, deceitfully claiming to be the original and alleging that the real Sarah has vanished. Amidst a subsequent investigation, the court ultimately declares her the original, granting her the freedom to assume Sarah’s identity. Yet, the emotional weight lingers as the clone is left facing her own despair, grappling with the same burdens that haunted the original, including a relationship with Peter and her devoted mother—who are both now aware of her clone status. In a poignant scene, Sarah’s Double, overwhelmed by the turmoil of her existence, breaks down while driving in circles in a roundabout, underscoring the haunting reality that identity and consciousness cannot be so easily exchanged.