Dubs

Cloning…what could possibly go wrong…right? We can take the strong, clone them, and build an army of expendable soldiers (think Attack of the Clones). How about cloning the smartest intellects? Two brain surgeons? Awesome! From director Anthony Greyley and writer Harrison Wall comes the short film, Dubs, which brings us into the world of cloning from a personal point of view.

The film opens with Justin (Thomas Flynn) and Ollie (Darko Baric), a couple going through a little bit of a spat as Ollie is afraid to bring Justin home to his parents. Speaking of cloning, Justin decides to enter the Dubbing program (at the encouragement of the government) and have a clone, or Dub, made of himself. Ollie is hesitant but supportive.

“…Justin decides to enter the Dubbing program…and have a clone…made of himself…”

Weeks later, Justin’s dub, Kid (Thomas Flynn), is now living temporarily with Justin and Ollie. This is normal as dubs are required to live with their original as they learn about the world around them from the original. Justin’s parental instincts kick in as he teaches Kid both social and daily living skills, so Kid will survive when sent to live on his own. The process is not perfect as “duality disorder” can set in, and the dub becomes overly attached to its original and refusing to leave.

But honestly, Dubs really isn’t about cloning, as its attention is placed on the love story between Justin and Ollie. Their relationship is put to the ultimate test when Kid is added to the mix. Justin comes alive mentoring/parenting his clone, and Ollie becomes more distant, resorting to playing an MMO-type video game instead of sharing his bed with his boyfriend and clone. The short builds upon moments of love and tenderness between the two leads followed by a true sci-fi ending that takes a few predictable and not so predictable turns.

With excellent twinning effects, Dubs is an excellent short with a solid story that manages to just stay ahead of its audience. I also appreciate the fact that the lead characters are a gay couple and left at that. Being a same-sex couple merely flavors the story being told, integrates itself into the narrative, and remains relatable to anyone who’s ever been in a relationship. Stepping off my soapbox, there will come a day (hopefully soon) where this observation is no longer necessary. That said, Dubs is an excellent short for the sci-fi fan.