Dual has an intriguing (albeit not entirely original) concept with a lot of comic and dramatic potential.
But the film is stuck in tonal limbo, being neither really funny nor especially poignant.
Dual's setting is its greatest strength. Its world always feels a little off-kilter and subtly dystopian.
But the storytelling is simply not engaging.
The writing feels bland and lazy.
The actors look mostly bored.
Riley Stearns is an interesting filmmaker. His first (and best) film Faults struck the right balance between absurdity and realism.
Since then he's gone on to adopt a more Lanthimos-ish tone, which seems overly self-conscious and gimmicky.
While that may have worked in his previous film, The Art of Self Defense, it doesn't in Dual.
I hope he returns to his earlier style for the next one.
But the film is stuck in tonal limbo, being neither really funny nor especially poignant.
Dual's setting is its greatest strength. Its world always feels a little off-kilter and subtly dystopian.
But the storytelling is simply not engaging.
The writing feels bland and lazy.
The actors look mostly bored.
Riley Stearns is an interesting filmmaker. His first (and best) film Faults struck the right balance between absurdity and realism.
Since then he's gone on to adopt a more Lanthimos-ish tone, which seems overly self-conscious and gimmicky.
While that may have worked in his previous film, The Art of Self Defense, it doesn't in Dual.
I hope he returns to his earlier style for the next one.